


Forming a Family

by genesisgrey



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Fingering, Anal Fisting, Anal Sex, Awkward Romance, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Knotting, Light Angst, M/M, Mpreg, Oral Sex, Possible More Warnings Later, Relationship(s), Self-Lubrication, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-08 07:13:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 28,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14100144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genesisgrey/pseuds/genesisgrey
Summary: Minseok's a beta with an alpha fetish. Luhan is his omega best friend. Jongdae's an alpha in love with Minseok, but with a strong physical reaction to Luhan's scent. Together they'll become a family, with a bit of work. (And lots of smut.)





	1. For Want of a Knot

**Author's Note:**

> The story should be three parts. One from each point of view progressing through their relationship(s). Enjoy! 
> 
> Happy Birthday to Minseok!

Minseok remembered the exact moment he realized he wasn't a  _normal_ beta.

He had been six and watching a romance movie about a handsome alpha sweeping away his omega love with his father and told him, "I want an alpha!" Minseok remembered the more sensitive of his parents looking at him in shock, horror, and the nervous laughter as his father told him he should want a beta or at least an omega. Betas and alphas didn't fall in love, it wasn't  _normal_.

That probably wasn't why his parents split up, but it felt like that sometimes, because his other father left shortly after. And more than once Minseok overheard them fight about how all his one father's coddling him made Minseok a 'sissy.'

Minseok made sure never to say things like that again after his other father left. 

He grew up acting like a beta even when he didn't feel like it. Soccer was the most comfortable  _normal_ thing for him to do, and he was the star player through high school. He pretended to enjoy things like watching alpha-omega porn with his friends, because porn and underage drinking what beta boys in his hometown did when parents were out for the night. Well, honestly, he didn't have to pretend he enjoyed the porn.

Except, he was enjoying it in a different way.

All the other boys were fantasizing about what it would be like if they were an alpha. To be so naturally dominant with a large cock and a scent that made omegas wet and literally had them begging to be fucked. To have a massive knot that locked inside an omega's hole so they had to take the stream of come from an alpha's orgasm. To have a maddened lust addled omega ready to do  _anything_. Meanwhile, Minseok was sitting in the back of the room, biting his lip and daydreaming what it would be like to  _be_ an omega. For his hungry hole to weep just from his alpha's scent. To feel an alpha cock filling him, to experience a swelling knot as he was impaled by his lover. His friends mistook his daze as being really into watching omegas, and Minseok just smiled and gave them a wink.

He did try to be  _normal_.

He dated a few beta boys and girls in high school, and the sex felt fine. Minseok figured out quickly he did not like being on top or with women. He wanted something hard thrusting into his ass or in his mouth, even if it wasn't an alpha cock.

After high school and a knee injury that crushed any hope of going further in soccer, Minseok moved to Seoul for college. (And to get away from everyone he'd known all his life and the expectations of when he was going to settle with some nice beta and start a family.) There were a lot more alphas in Seoul, and almost all of them acted like dominant dickheads.

They, of course, never gave him a second look, sexually, and Minseok was careful not to show interest of his own. Because betas mated with betas, and anything else was  _queer_.

Basically, Seoul was as bad as his hometown, but with more alphas for him to drool over and never have.

But there was a bright side. Minseok made a friend, an omega from China named Luhan.

Luhan liked to study near the soccer field where a bunch of alphas and betas played, but no one ever invited him to join. That didn't sit right with Minseok, so he went to do drills with Luhan one day, as well as his bum knee allowed, and wound up making a friend.

They ended up pretty much inseparable after that, and Minseok got a crush.

He felt guilty he sometimes wished Luhan were an alpha. Or at least another beta so he could finally be  _normal_. (Betas and omegas mating was okay. But how many movies were about alphas sweeping in and stealing their omega true love from the beta. Like all of them.)

Still, Minseok felt comfortable and safe with Luhan, and Luhan had this wonderful rich scent, a bit floral, but musky also. Honestly, he was fine with Luhan being an omega, too, except he didn't imagine omegas were comfortable being the top in during sex. He was fairly sure he could forgo his alpha fetish for love, but there was just no way he was going to be on top more than once in a blue moon. (He did take into account it was likely he had a skewed vision of omega desires from too many pornos and romance movies. Luhan didn't seem like the only thing he thought about was alpha cock. In fact, he really didn't seem to think about cock much at all.)

The second year of college, Minseok made out with Luhan, which Luhan didn't remember.

They'd been at a frat party all night and Minseok was sober enough to realize some of the alphas and a few betas were eyeing his pretty omega BFF. He dragged Luhan out with a promise they could keep drinking back at his apartment. They did a lot more drinking and played strip poker until they were in their underwear and one sock each, and somehow started kissing. Luhan had such a sweet, wonderful kiss. Even better when his wicked tongue was forcing its way into Minseok's mouth and he was pulling Minseok's hair.

Somehow the evening ended with Minseok sitting on his desk chair, Luhan on his lap, grinding his ass against Minseok's half hard cock. That had done nothing for Minseok, but having his hand shoved down the front of Luhan's boxers had. Luhan was large for an omega. (Granted, his basis for comparison was porn, and there was a lot of size shaming in those videos.) Jerking his best friend off made him moan.

Luhan didn't remember anything the next day.

Or so he claimed.

He was  _very firm_  that he didn't remember  _anything_ after they left the party, and it was good  _nothing happened_  on accident to make their  _friendship_ awkward. Any hope Minseok had was utterly crushed.

It hurt for a while, especially when Luhan half-avoided him for weeks before they started to hang out like friends again. Like nothing happened. Minseok nursed the pain by forcing a smile and chattering about his alpha fetish so Luhan felt safe being around him.

Minseok was pretty sure he was just doomed in love.

Then Jongdae came into his life.

Jongdae was a handsome alpha who sang at a local club under the stage name Chen. He had a gorgeous voice, a mischievous smile, and an intoxicating smell that Minseok could pick up well before he came in the door of the cafe.

Every afternoon at shortly after four - morning for Jongdae with his late nights - the alpha came into the cafe where Minseok worked. His dark eyes twinkled as he leaned on the counter and smiled that glorious smile as he asked lots of questions about coffee and what Minseok suggested he drink for mood or throat condition or because of clouds on a Tuesday. Minseok always had answers and always found a way to carry Jongdae's coffee out to his table if his order wasn't to-go. Jongdae winked and told him the coffee smelled better when he brought it over.

If this was as close to a romance story as he was going to get, Minseok was over the moon.

Though, he did have a moment of horror the day Jongdae and Luhan were both visiting him at the same time and he introduced them. Minseok could smell the scent of attraction, of compatible pheromones. He saw the way Luhan flushed and looked away, saw how Jongdae smiled like it was nothing but kept staring.

Minseok didn't have a chance to be depressed. The next day Jongdae asked him out, and he could have died of happiness.

He figured it was a friend date, but Jongdae held his hand in public and didn't seem to care at all if people gave them odd looks. They kissed for a first time beneath a streetlight outside Minseok's apartment, because Jongdae worried about a sweet-natured beta walking home alone at night. They stayed over night at each others apartments to watch movies or for Jongdae to cook dinner, which he was good at. They could kiss and touch for hours, sometimes grinding so Minseok could feel the alpha's cock through their clothes.

It was bliss.

Except for one problem.

***

"I don't think he wants to have sex with me."

Luhan looked annoyed as he glanced up from his notebook, muttering something in Chinese. Then sighed and said, "Of course he does, Min. I can smell how much he does whenever I'm out with the two of you, like the movie last week." He shook his head. "And why wouldn't he want to have sex with you?"

Minseok flopped down on Luhan's bed and grabbed a pillow, cuddling it to his chest. "Because we've been going out for two months and we haven't gotten further than frotting with clothes on."

"Maybe he's a romantic," Luhan said, then sighed again. "Jongdae's a really nice guy. He's probably worried about hurting you. Betas aren't... you know..."

"Betas do have anal sex, Lu," Minseok said with a glare, crinkling his nose. "My parents were both beta males."

"Yeah, but as you just said, sex with other betas. That's not taking an alpha cock. You don't self-lubricate."

"I can buy lube," Minseok mumbled.

"And I'm sure you have."

He made a face at his friend, who was absolutely right, and then smiled. "Have you ever... with an alpha?"

Luhan shrugged and looked back at his notes. "Couple of times. I grew up in an omega house."

The omega houses Minseok knew about were all brothels, but from what Luhan had told him, in China it was more of an orphanage and matchmaking service. It made him very angry Luhan had awful parents who left him in one. "I still don't get it."

Luhan must have figured he meant what an omega house was, again. "Well, with restrictions on how many children we can have back home, it just makes sense to get rid of the omegas and hope for better luck next time. Better to leave the baby at an omega house where they are raised by the state and their needs are dealt with than on a street corner." He grimaced as he saw the expression Minseok was making. "It wasn't like they made us take alphas or we were prisoner. I'm here, aren't I? They just offered willing alphas as a form of relief when we were old enough our heats came."

"How come you just couldn't use a suppressant?" Minseok asked, which was rude, but Luhan was pretty upfront about the mechanics being an omega.

Luhan threaded a pencil between his long, beautiful fingers. "Because it takes a while to for omegas to figure out their cycle, since it differs from one omega to another. Mine only comes every ninety days. But I remember one omega back at the house that got his every three weeks. The suppressants need to be taken within three days before heat starts, any earlier and it won't have an effect, and if heat has already started, suppressants don't do much." Luhan blushed and squirmed a bit in his chair as he turned back to the notes on his desk again. "It really was a mercy they had clean, tested alphas to attend us. When you're in your first few heats you don't know what's going on or how to alleviate it, and all your body wants is an alpha... you're happy for any alpha." He hunched a bit. "I guess there's a reason everyone thinks omegas are sluts."

Minseok didn't like the way Luhan said the last bit. He let go of the pillow and pushed himself up off the bed to go over and hug his friend, standing behind the chair as he rested his cheek against the top of Luhan's head. "You're not a slut, Lu. Anyone who ever said that to you is an asshole."

Luhan put a hand on Minseok's arms to keep the hug going. "I guess. I mean, don't think you're a slut and you lust after alpha cock more than any omega I've ever known, in or out of heat."

Minseok laughed as he let go and sat next to his friend on the floor. "Did you ever take a knot?"

Luhan said with a shake of his head no. "I mean, no one really believes in claiming anymore. But just the idea of being knotted by someone you don't intend to be with is awkward and weird. For alphas, too."

"I want Jongdae to knot me."

Luhan rolled his eyes. "Of course you do."

Minseok decided not to talk too much about that as he pushed up on his knees to get a look at Luhan's notebook on the desk. "What're you studying?"

They talked about school for a while before Minseok heard his phone dinging. He pulled it out of his pocket and smiled, ignoring Luhan scoffing that he didn't need to guess who was texting.

_Jongdae: You off tomorrow?_

_Minseok: Yup. Date?_

_Jongdae: Meet me at the club after I finish up tonight?_

Minseok stared at the phone as he answered  _okay_ and got an emoji smiley face in return. He turned to Luhan and held up his phone for his friend to read. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

"That he wants you to meet him up tonight?" Luhan said, pushing the phone away. "Yeah."

"No! That... maybe tonight..."

"Maybe," Luhan said with a shrug, focusing on his notebook. "Why would I know?"

"Lu! What do I wear? What do I do?"

"Clothes," Luhan said, not at all helpful. Minseok would have pouted at him, but he was too freaked out and excited.

***

The evening was chilly and there weren't many sober people on the street, most stumbling out of various clubs after last call.

Minseok stood outside Chen's club, a mellow establishment with the showy name of Exo Planet. He shifted on his feet and shoved his hands in the pockets of his good jeans, ones Luhan said showed off his thighs best. He squinted to try and make out the stars in the sky through the light pollution. The employees were starting to come out of Exo Planet, several waved at him and he smiled. It was a waitress named Hyeri who saw him and ducked back inside.

Jongdae came out with a grin a few minutes later. "You could have waited for me inside. I didn't know you were out here."

"Sorry," Minseok said. It honestly never occurred to him.

"S'okay. Though I was starting to worry you might have forgotten about me," Jongdae said, giving Minseok a quick peck on the lips. "Should have looked outside."

"Not a chance. I've been thinking about you since you texted," Minseok said. "You're done for the night?"

"Yeah."

Jongdae looped his arm around Minseok's shoulders as they started walking. Minseok snuggled into his boyfriend's side as he put an arm around the alpha's middle and let out a contented sigh. 

"Why'd you ask if I had tomorrow off?" he wondered out loud.

"I was hoping, maybe," Jongdae leaned in to whisper in Minseok's ear. "That maybe you'd want to stay the night."

"Of course," Minseok said, feeling flush and hopeful. "But I could have stayed over even if I had work tomorrow."

"I'm not sure how easy you'll be walking by morning."

"Oh."

They didn't say much else as they walked in companionable silence to Jongdae's apartment. Minseok attempting to keep calm even as his entire body hardened in a kind of anticipation. The jeans, he noticed as he glanced down, also showed off his bulging desire. Jongdae unlocked the door when they arrived and pushed Minseok to step inside first, so he could see the table set with flowers and a bottle of wine.

"It's our two month anniversary," Jongdae said as he shut the door. "I wanted to do something special."

"I didn't get you anything," Minseok said as Jongdae helped him out of his jacket.

Jongdae seemed a bit shy as he tossed his own jacket after Minseok's on the back of a chair. His scent was stronger than normal. "I'm hoping you'll give me something, Seok." He kissed the nape of Minseok's neck. "My beautiful beta."

"Please tell me you want sex," Minseok moaned as he rolled his neck to let Jongdae have more access.

"I'm trying to be romantic here," Jongdae laughed, his arms wrapping around Minseok's waist. "But, yeah. I was hoping tonight we might..."

"Can we go to the bedroom first?" Minseok asked as he pushed his body back into Jongdae, pressing his ass against his lover's groin. "Do wine and flowers second?"

"Fine by me."

Minseok couldn't help giggling as he twisted and kissed Jongdae while his boyfriend walked him back into the bedroom. The clothes went flying, shirt, socks. Everything but, infuriatingly, Jongdae's pants. Jongdae sat him on the end of the bed and knelt, pushing Minseok's strong, bare thighs apart.

"Sorry it's not bigger," Minseok said, not sure what else to say as his boyfriend's hand ran over his cock and examined it. He was on the smaller side of average for a beta, a fact which never bothered before. Unless it bothered Jongdae, then it was going to bother Minseok.

"It's beautiful," Jongdae said, kissing the tip, kissing his way along the underside and starting to nibble. "My Seok."

Minseok groaned as he watched Jongdae's tongue explore before his alpha boyfriend's gorgeous mouth fit around the tip, sliding slowly down. His cock wasn't so small Jongdae could take it all the way, but he got a lot of it as he squeezed and stroked the rest of the shaft so no part of Minseok felt unloved. Minseok threaded his hands in dark hair as he watched Jongdae's head start to bob in his lap, soft little moans and sucking and slurping sounds filling the air. There was a  _pop_ of suction breaking when Jongdae's mouth momentarily came off so he could tease Minseok's straining cock with more kisses and licks.

There were noises and words coming out of Minseok's mouth as he bowed over Jongdae, scratching his nails lightly along his boyfriend's scalp in encouragement. He really didn't listen to himself, much more invested in the heat of Jongdae's beautiful moth as his hips started to rock. Jongdae grabbed and held him in place so didn't fall off the edge of the bed. He must have given some kind of warning that he was close, or Jongdae figured out what the hands clenching in his hair and the desperate struggle of Minseok's hips meant. Jongdae pulled away quick enough, tossing his head to get out of Minseok's grasp as Minseok came with a shout.

"You're more vocal than I expected," Jongdae said with a proud smirk from where he knelt.

"Sorry," Minseok said, panting as he struggled to stay upright. His toes were tingling and he was glad he was sitting.

Jongdae grinned as he wiped away a bit of cum off Minseok's thigh, licking it from his fingers. "Don't be, I liked it. Especially that 'Ah, Jongdae, Jongdae, alpha, I need you' part with the panting. Feel free to do that all the time. Record it and I'll make it my ringtone for when you call."

Minseok felt filled with heat and mortified in the best way as Jongdae stood up and took off his belt, tossing it aside. He had the top button on his jeans undone when he paused and gave Minseok a serious look. "Hey, if you think it's too much for you, I get it, okay? Don't feel pressure..."

" _Alpha_ ," Minseok said, putting as much need into the word as he could. "Let me see your cock."

Jongdae pressed his lips and had another moment of hesitation before he unzipped and pulled out his fully erect cock. It was large, but Minseok had known that from grinding against him in clothes. Jongdae was an alpha, after all. It was luscious and perfect, better than porn, and Minseok was already salivating and wanting to feel it moving inside his body.

He reached out and grabbed the loops of Jongdae's jeans, making him step closer. "Perfect," he said as he leaned in, rubbing his cheek against the hard, warm flesh, inhaling Jongdae's smell where it was most potent. That was almost too much, making him dizzy. His mouth watered as he took a taste, sliding the tip of his tongue along a vein on the side. _So good._  "I want it. I want it in me."

"You're absolutely sure?" Jongdae said, stroking Minseok's hair, his face flush when Minseok looked up. "It's going to... take a lot of prep."

"I've been fingering myself thinking of an alpha cock since I was fourteen," Minseok admitted, embarrassed. Maybe he shouldn't have said it like that. "You don't.. um..."

"I'd love to see your skill," Jongdae said with an adoring smile.

"Do you have lube?" Minseok asked as he crawled back on the bed. "Or hand me my jeans."

"Eager,  huh?" Jongdae laughed as he got lube and an alpha condom out of the bedside table drawer.

Minseok made himself comfortable, like he did when he was alone and going to indulge. He'd always liked to take his time while masturbating. Except this time he had a boyfriend - who had just sucked him off so well he was still shaking - who handed him the lube while he was finishing stripping off his jeans. And now Jongdae was just staring at him as he stood at the end of the bed, smiling. Minseok shut his eyes, because he couldn't start with those dark eyes watching him.

He took a deep breath as he reached between his legs and started rubbing lube over his needy hole, teasing it, wishing he were an omega and his body would do this all by itself. He chewed his lower lip as he slowly pushed a finger inside, letting out a muted sound. It had been a while. He felt Jongdae watching him as he played with himself, getting his body used to the intrusion as he slowly put a second finger in and stretched his hole. He opened his eyes just enough he caught a glimpse of his boyfriend standing naked at the foot of the bed, stroking his cock in anticipation. Minseok licked his lips and worked three fingers in himself and was starting to roll his hips when he felt the mattress shift and Jongdae climbed on to join him.

"I can only watch for so long. Let me help you out there," he said as he knelt between Minseok's legs and pulled Minseok's hand away.

"Oh!" Minseok cried out in surprise as Jongdae slid two fingers in and started working him even further open.

"You like having things thrust inside you, don't you, Seokie?"

"Yes," Minseok whined, wriggling his hips as Jongdae pushed a third finger inside. His free hand stroked Minseok's legs and stomach. "More."

"There's a lot more," Jongdae said, spreading his fingers.

It was only after Jongdae had four fingers inside him and Minseok was writhing, he felt comfortable giving him more. "Relax," Jongdae said, slicking lube over his cock, his large, shapely cock, and positioning it at Minseok's hole. "If it hurts, you let me know, okay, babe?"

"Give it to me, please," Minseok said in a whimper. "Please."

It did hurt. His hole  _burned_ as Jongdae's alpha appropriate cock filled him, stretched him even wider. But it felt so, so, so good. Jongdae kissed him as Minseok wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's neck. His legs were trembling too much to move as Jongdae slid in completely, save the knot. "You're okay?" Jongdae asked, bumping his forehead to Minseok and panting. "Oh, fuck. You feel so good."

"Move," Minseok whined. "Give me more."

Jongdae started to move with slow thrusts. Minseok felt the knot at the base of his boyfriend's cock slam against his hole without going in. It was so good as Jongdae's pace increased, pushing Minseok on his shoulders as he rose up and got just borderline aggressive. Minseok felt like he was melting, his voice echoing off the walls of the bedroom. Jongdae growled and nipped at Minseok's chin as he came, his hips jerking erratically as he spent himself.

The smell of Jongdae was almost overpowering and all over him as he slumped down against Minseok. Minseok couldn't stop smiling as he dozed off in his lover's arms, Jongdae's cock still hard inside him.

***

Everything was going fine.

Minseok desperately wanted to feel Jongdae's knot inside him, but he didn't ask much because his boyfriend always told him, "Not tonight, baby. I just want a bit of fun." Or, "You have to work tomorrow and my cock makes you a bit wobbly as is." That was true, and Minseok liked being wobbly.

But when he was locked in Jongdae's arms one night, Jongdae thrusting in and out of him, and he heard those three sweet words, "I love you," whispered in his ear and Jongdae  _didn't_ knot him, something cracked in Minseok's chest.

He couldn't explain it and the disappointment didn't set in right away, but slowly over the following days, eating away at him.

Luhan noticed, of course, and said the worst thing possible when Minseok explained: "Min, I'm not sure you could take a knot anyway. You're not an omega."

Minseok didn't think he'd ever been so mad at his best friend, but he wanted to cry. Because Luhan could have taken Jongdae's knot. "Maybe you should be with him," he had snapped back, leaving Luhan shocked, and Minseok feeling sick. The did smell perfect together, after all.

By the time Minseok realized what he was feeling, he had apologized to Luhan, but he was avoiding Jongdae. Excuse after excuse while he tried to get his feeling under control. He moved to the morning shift so he was off before Jongdae came in for his coffee and had an excuse not to stay out late, but the manager couldn't spare him for the later afternoon rush on Thursday.

That was when Jongdae caught up to him.

Minseok caught the scent of him before he got in the door and grimaced, wishing he could shrink behind the counter and disappear. More so when he saw Jongdae's frown, because Jongdae never frowned - it was  _unnatural_. 

Jongdae didn't try to talk to Minseok too much at the counter, ordering his drink and going to sit at a table by the window. For a brief moment, Minseok thought he might get away with another successful day of avoidance. Except all his coworkers were used to his making excuses to serve Jongdae and were tagging him out so he could take the coffee over before he could say it wasn't necessary.

He took Jongdae's coffee to the table as usual, and meant to use the line forming at the counter as an excuse to go back to work immediately. Jongdae grabbed his arm before he could sneak away. "Seok, what's wrong?" he asked. "You've been avoiding me, babe."

"No I haven't," he lied, not really trying to pull away as he lowered his head, tucking his chin against his chest.

"Did I do something wrong?" Jongdae asked, voice oddly thin.

"No."

"Seok..."

"Why didn't you..."

"Didn't I what?"

"Knot me. Didn't you want to?"

Jongdae said nothing, and when Minseok finally lifted his head he found his boyfriend staring at him with wide eyes, mouth agape and working as if he were trying to say something. "Of course I want to," Jongdae said, a little rough and almost angry. "But I don't want to hurt you, Seok. It's hard for you to take my cock. I know you like it but... "

Minseok couldn't help whimpering. "I wish I were an omega."

"Minseok..."

"I need to get back to work," Minseok said, pulling away from Jongdae's hold.

"Seok," Jongdae hissed, but Minseok kept walking back to the counter.

He felt like a zombie the rest of the day, hardly paying attention when Jongdae left. He called Luhan on his break and went over to cry on his best friend's pillow, pretty sure he just broke up with his boyfriend. Luhan said he hadn't even as he curled up with Minseok to comfort him.

It was two days before Minseok saw Jongdae again, standing outside as he got off work, arms crossed and frowning. "We need to talk."

"You don't... it's fine," Minseok said, rubbing at his eyes. He was not going to start crying.

Jongdae pursed his lips and his nostrils flared as he narrowed his eyes. "I hate being this alpha," he said, letting out a sigh as he moved toward Minseok. Minseok let out a yelp of a shock as he was scooped up and put over Jongdae's shoulder. "We're going to talk, Seok. Today. Now. Your place or mine?"

"M-Mine."

No one really gave too much notice as they walked down the street. Minseok wasn't struggling where he was over Jongdae's shoulder, and Jongdae was giving off that angry alpha aura that made non-alphas look away and not want to get involved. Jongdae set him down at his front door so he could open it, and in they went.

He suddenly wished they'd gone to Jongdae's apartment, because his little studio was a mess.

Normally, Minseok was a tidy person, to the point he cleaned up in both Jongdae and Luhan's apartments when he visited. He liked to be neat. But going to work had been the only chore he could make himself do the last few weeks. He hadn't even been making his classes. The remains of microwave dinners were piled up in the kitchenette. The laundry pile had spread to become more of a laundry swamp. His bed wasn't made and there was a graveyard of crumpled tissues lying next to it, from sobbing himself to sleep. He bit his lip and hoped Jongdae didn't notice.

Jongdae noticed.

"Okay, so I somehow screwed up big," he said behind Minseok. "From the smell, I'm guessing you've had Luhan over a lot to bitch about me."

The mention of Luhan and how Jongdae was attuned to his smell was the last thing Minseok needed to hear. He went and sat on the desk chair, because the only other place to sit was the bed. He hunched forward with his face in his hands, his stomach a mess of tangles and tension to the point he wanted to puke. "Do you want Luhan?" he managed to ask. If Jongdae wasn't going to knot him, maybe he was actually waiting for an omega to be with. The few betas Minseok knew with his same fetish, who dallied with alphas, were just placeholders for an omega.

"What? Why would you..."

"Because you're an alpha and he's an omega, and I have a nose!" Minseok yelled. "I smell what it's like when you two are near each other."

Jongdae jerked back as if Minseok had taken a physical swing at him. Then he set his jaw. "Okay. Yeah, our pheromones mesh. It's not like I'm going to jump him when I'm in love with you. We hang out. He's a likeable male, and, yeah, in a perfect word I'd have you both... and, shit, why did I just say that?"

Minseok started to laugh at the confirmation of what his instincts told him long ago. "I wish you could."

"Excuse me?"

"Then, maybe, I could go with when you two run off together." Minseok rubbed his eyes. "You know, I was in love with Luhan before I met you, but he never responded."

"You think he doesn't respond to you?" Jongdae said, sounding shocked.

"I'm a beta, why would he?"

Jongdae made a sound as if he was going to say something, then sighed. "Never mind, we can get back to that a lot later. The important part is, you just told me you're in love with your best friend, when you've never said you love me, and I'm handling it really well."

Minseok hiccuped over another bitter laugh. "I don't I have a biologic urge to  _mate_ with him, and what would you do if you weren't? Go challenge him?"

"Maybe!" Jongdae shouted, making Minseok jerk his head up. Jongdae let out a hiss of air. "I guess I'm not handling it so well."

"Jongdae..."

"No!" Jongdae started to pace, not that there was much room in the cramped studio, kicking at a T-shirt. "You just told me you love Luhan when you won't say it to me, even though I've said it twice now. And after the first time I said it, you basically stopped seeing me." He turned to Minseok. "Just because I wouldn't knot you?" He looked incredibly hurt. "Is that all I am, Seok? An alpha cock and a knot? Anyone would do?"

Minseok's eyes went wide as he jumped up from the chair, launching himself at Jongdae to hug him around the middle. Jongdae stepped back, but didn't really try to stop him. "No, no. Of course not. I love your smile and the way you cook for me and your voice. I love how you honestly can't seem to remember anything about coffee, no matter how many times I tell you the difference between lattes and espresso. I love how you hold my hand and aren't ashamed to be walking down the street with a beta, and how you're good to my best friend and let him hang out with us even though... I know it has to be hard to be around him. I know... I know... I'm just scared. I love how you make me feel and how considerate you are and how you hold me."

"Sounds like you love me," Jongdae said, a bit flat, but his arms were around Minseok now.

"I do. I'm sorry. I... I just... have been fantasizing about what it would feel like to be knotted since I first learned that was how alphas got omegas pregnant so fast. Then Luhan said alphas only knotted the people they wanted to be with, and you said I love you but you didn't... and... Luhan is an omega..."

"And you got caught up in your own head, like you do," Jongdae  said, kissing his temple.

"Yeah."

Jongdae sighed and swayed their bodies comfortingly, to some silent music. "Seok, it's not that I don't want to knot you. Believe me. My knot throbs for you like I've never felt and I have jerked off more than once imagining what it would be like to be locked inside you."

"Then wh..."

"Shh, let me talk, baby." Jongdae said, tightening his hold. "I have to fight my urges a lot because I don't want to be a dickhead alpha, but sometimes it's hard. I want to knot you. When I come home and you're not in my bed, I want to come over here, rip the door off the hinges and take you home with me." Minseok inhaled sharply. "I don't like being that uber-dominant guy, but I do have those alpha urges, Minseok. Luhan  _does_ have a scent that makes me a bit crazy, and right now I want to go snap him in half because he's a rival for your affection and he said something that meant I didn't get to see you for a couple week. No, don't say anything. I know him and you, and it probably wasn't intentional or about me, but it's still how I feel. I'll get over it. I'm your alpha. I want to protect you and love you and keep you safe from any harm, especially from me. The idea I might hurt you by knotting you... it freaks me out. Seok?"

Minseok had just melted against Jongdae, rubbing his cheek against the alpha's shoulder. " _My alpha_."

Jongdae went still and then let out a bark of laughter as he squeezed Minseok tight. "That's the I love you you needed to hear, huh, baby? Yeah, I'm  _your alpha_ , and you're  _mine_."

"I'm all yours," Minseok agreed, kissing his neck until Jongdae gave his hair a gentle yank to pull him away for their lips to meet.

It wasn't long before they were naked and on the bed and Jongdae gave him two of the best orgasms ever, once with his mouth and one with hand, before he ever put his cock in. "You really want my knot that badly, don't you?" Jongdae panted, kissing Minseok's forehead. He was thrust deep, everything but the knot inside. It felt like he had been fucking Minseok for hours to torment him with pleasure.

"Yes," Minseok admitted in a groan. "I can take it, but... if you're not ready, not comfortable..."

"My brave beta," Jongdae kissed him again and pulled out.

Minseok made a mewling sound and simpered,  _alpha_ , as Jongdae ran a hand over his stomach. "If you can be brave, so can I," he said, one side of his mouth curling up higher than the other. "I'm going to knot you, baby."

That was the sexiest thing Minseok ever heard.

They had sex in all sorts of positions, but Jongdae's favorite was facing one another, so it was a bit of a surprise when he arranged Minseok on his stomach. He put all the pillows under Minseok's hips to raise his ass, hole already stretched and lubed from taking the alpha's cock.

"You comfortable? Relaxed?" Jongdae asked, running a hand over Minseok's back and neck.

Minseok nodded, not sure what else to do other than be limp. The two orgasms meant he was relaxed. Now that he thought about it, Jongdae always brought him to climax at least once before putting his cock in. His boyfriend was the sweetest.

"If it gets too much, tell me," Jongdae said as his hands moved to Minseok's ass cheeks, pulling them apart as he rubbed a thumb over Minseok's desperate hole. He let out a chuckle as he pressed against the pucker. "Your body really does just want to suck something in deep, doesn't it, baby?"

"Please," Minseok groaned.

Jongdae toyed a bit before pushing three fingers inside, which was nothing after having Jongdae's cock thrusting in and out of him. The fourth wasn't an issue either, but Jongdae did put more time and effort into stretching him wide, spreading his fingers to test Minseok's limits. He gasped as Jongdae's entire lubed hand pushed inside to his wrist and formed a fist, shifting ever so slightly. That did hurt a bit. "This is what it's going to be like, Seok, except I won't be able to pull out if it hurts. Once I knot you I... I can't just decide to pull out. Not until my body finishes."

Minseok swallowed hard and looked over his shoulder at his boyfriend, at the slightly lusty way Jongdae was staring at his hand buried in Minseok's ass. " _Alpha_ , I want it, and I trust you,  _Jongdae,_ " he said, moaning a bit and shifting his hips for friction, to feel the fist moving when Jongdae went still. "Feels good."

Jongdae's slick fist moved inside him a bit more before pulling out, and then Minseok felt the thick cock sliding inside once more,  _his alpha's_  hands on his hips, one sticky in lube, as he started to move. He almost giggled at how much easier it was to take Jongdae's cock after the fist, but he liked the burn of that first thrust slowly sliding into him, filling him. Fisting was definitely only before knotting.

"Relax. Breathe," Jongdae said as his hips jerked hard and the thick knot pushed inside Minseok's hole.

It wasn't what Minseok was expecting, and he thought something was wrong, because it slipped out, twice, before Jongdae started to growl. It was a low, possessive growl Minseok had never heard before and it resonated low in his gut. His boyfriend's hand landed on his back to keep him down and thrust into him so hard he let out a cry of surprise. Jongdae hips kept pushing forward, as if they wanted to thrust deeper. The knot was a lot to take, but nowhere near what he expected, nothing like what Jongdae seemed to be concerned about.

And then Jongdae started to come.

Minseok sucked in a gasp of breath as his eyes went wide and he started clenching his fists in the sheets. He felt the knot beginning to  _swell_. "Breathe," Jongdae said in a low, erotic growl, his hand still on Minseok's back, holding him down, holding him in place as the knot filled him. "Shit, Seok..."

"Good, good," was all Minseok could manage to assure his alpha he was all right.

He could  _feel_ Jongdae coming in him with the slight jerks of his hips. He'd seen how much his boyfriend could come, seen hot, thick ropes of come shooting out of his fat cock, and now it was squirting inside him, drenching his insides. He twisted his hands in the sheets and rubbed his cheek against the wet spot left by his saliva as he let himself drool with desire. Now he understood why omegas in porn always looked so out of it, spit spilling from their mouths, eyes dilated.

Jongdae let out one more growl and thrust before he seemed to come back to himself. The hand holding Minseok down started to rub in gentle circles over his shoulder blades. He slowly moved to lay on his side gently taking Minseok with him, not that they had any other option. His arms were wrapped tight around Minseok's waist as he panted, kissing and nipping at Minseok's neck and shoulder, which was how Minseok learned he was feeling incredibly sensitive in addition to it all, because everything Jongdae did made him shiver and tremble.

"Seok? Talk to me."

Minseok was in ecstasy with that thick knot filling him, almost splitting him open. He moaned but couldn't form full words as he dragged Jongdae's hand to his mouth, kissing it, licking it, letting him feel how he was salivating.

"Shit, Seokie," Jongdae said, pushing his fingers into the inviting mouth, "you're wonderful."

Minseok moaned as he sucked hungrily.

They stayed like that, snuggling, with Minseok slowly coming out of a heightened state of pleasure as Jongdae pet him and left a lot of hickeys on his shoulder and neck. It felt strange when the knot started to release and Jongdae finally pulled out. Minseok clenched his ass cheeks and let out a whimper, not only because he felt empty and open, but from some instinct to make sure he didn't lose any of Jongdae's semen.

Jongdae rolled him onto his stomach again and massaged the round orbs of flesh. "I want to make sure you're okay," he said, gently pulling them apart and stroking his fingers between to inspect. He let out a sigh of relief as his hands slid to the back of Minseok's thighs to caress them. "There's a little bit of blood, but you're okay, right?"

"Yeah," Minseok managed to exhale. "Feeling a bit empty."

"Some alphas I know, their mates have, uh, butt plugs they put in after sex, so it's more gradual," Jongdae said. "Maybe we can look into it."

"That might be nice," Minseok said. He'd have agreed to anything at the moment, but it didn't sound like a bad idea.

"Shit!"

"What?" Minseok jerked his head up.

"I didn't use a condom," Jongdae said, sounding utterly distraught. "I... I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Don't worry," Minseok said, forcing himself to have the energy so he could twist and smile at his boyfriend. "It's hard for alphas to get betas pregnant, even with all the come an alpha produces." In fact, it was incredibly hard for an alpha to get a beta pregnant. Rate of pregnancy between alphas was higher than between beta and alphas. Not that Minseok had researched conception rates while having fantasies of a future with Jongdae.

Jongdae still looked worried as Minseok waved for Jongdae down to lay down and cuddle with him. "You're sure you're okay?"

Minseok sighed as he snuggled against Jongdae's chest. "Yes. Thank you. It was perfect. I don't think I'm going to be able to walk tomorrow."

Jongdae laughed.

But Minseok was right about his legs ability to hold his weight, because he fell out of bed the next morning. Jongdae took good care of him, including calling the cafe to say he couldn't come in. It was normally something an alpha did for an omega; it made Minseok incredibly happy. Though, Jongdae did have to go to his own work that night, after he cooked Minseok dinner. He called Luhan to come stay with Minseok.

"I'm fine," Minseok said from the bed as Luhan dumped his backpack on the desk.

"I just want someone to stay with you," Jongdae said with a smile. Then he turned to Luhan and patted Luhan's head. "Remember, he's mine."

"I know," Luhan said, not looking at Jongdae.

"Sorry," Minseok said after Jongdae left, frowning a bit at his boyfriend. "I think he's feeling more alpha-like after, um..."

Luhan let out a snort as he went to the kitchenette and picked at leftovers. "If I couldn't tell by the dumb smiles you're both wearing, the smell in here gives it away. Finally got your alpha knot, huh?"

"It was good, Luhan," Minseok said, grinning.

"Except you can't walk."

"I made it to the bathroom and back before you got here. I'm fine. I'll go back to work tomorrow." Minseok sat up to make room on the bed, patting the space next to him. "You want to watch a movie? Or you need to study."

Luhan glanced at the space next to him and glanced away, grabbing a couple drinks out of the refrigerator before joining him. Minseok grabbed the remote and found a Chinese romance with subtitles. Luhan always liked critiquing the translations. He rested his head on his best friend's shoulders.

He completely missed the way Luhan's hands were clenched and almost white in his lap.

 


	2. Omega Blues

Being an omega sucked.

Luhan didn't normally complain. He didn't live in the dark ages where omegas were kept locked up first by their families and then by their alpha to be used for breeding stock and  _pleasure_. He lived in an era with access to heat suppressants, where he could live on his own and work and attend school like everyone else.

But it was still expected he'd find an  _alpha_ , and Luhan didn't  _want_ an  _alpha_.

That hadn't been a popular point of view at the omega house where he grew up and got him labeled a  _problem_. It didn't help matters that he didn't have a  _good_ personality for an omega. He had a mild aggressive streak and was competitive, and was  _not_ compliant and docile if he disagreed with something. He was one of the few omegas at the house who desired to go to school beyond mandatory education. He wanted a job. He wanted to live his life without some alpha breathing down his neck and expecting him to get wet, drop everything, and spread whenever said alpha wanted to mate.

It made him shudder, for some omegas that was the dream life to which they aspired.

Luhan's perky beta caseworker never gave up on finding him that  _special_ alpha. She still sent him prospects semi-regularly: pictures, profiles, bio-metric stats, and charts applying Mendel's law to approximate what traits would be passed on to potential children.

Luhan didn't even bother looking at them anymore.

There had been one alpha who put in the effort to pursue him back home, even knowing Luhan's  _poor_ personality. Yifan had been all that a  _good_ alpha was supposed to be, oddly charming, powerful, domineering, endowed, filthy rich, and future head of a preeminent family of alphas. He was most omegas wet dream.

He certainly was for Zitao, another omega at the house, who thought Luhan was crazy for not throwing himself at Yifan's feet.

Given time, maybe Luhan could have fallen for Yifan. The alpha smelled all right and was nice enough. On those rare occasions when Luhan went into a heat and couldn't ride it out on his own, when he gave into animal instinct and asked for an alpha to ease his symptoms, it was usually Yifan who came to his rescue.

It was the idea of having Yifan's children that freaked Luhan out. Maybe he could have found a way to work himself around to it, but he got the impression the Wu family (who donated heavily to the omega house) were not happy their future head was not mated to an omega and producing children already.

Luhan had been terrified of being forced into the match.

Technically forcing an omega into a union was illegal and it didn't happen, but he'd seen it happen. Everyone who grew up in an omega house had witnessed the kind of deception, tricks, and traps alphas used to force a mating if their chosen omega was  _uncertain_.

That was pretty much the whole reason Luhan decided to study in Korea. He had enough skill in languages that it to be difficult, but not impossible. And it didn't seem likely Yifan would follow him. Chasing an omega he hadn't knotted, impregnated, or formally mated would be pathetic, and the Wu family was not pathetic.

Maybe Zitao could catch him on the rebound.

Not that being an unattached omega in Seoul was much easier. He got a lot of obscene offers and quickly came to understand saying he came up in an omega house meant something completely different in Korea. But, other than his well meaning caseworker's frequent e-mails, no one was trying to play matchmaker for him, and he had autonomy he never had a chance to experience before.

And he made a friend.

He fell in love with Minseok at first sight.

There was something about the beta that made Luhan's head light, his throat dry, and his chest tight in the best of ways. Minseok had an adorably sweet face and the most beautiful smile that reached his eyes and made Luhan want to smile in return. His personality was as angelic and friendly as his face. And he had an intoxicating smell. Not like how an alpha smelled, but a nice smell that was sweet and just a bit spicy. It made Luhan want to bury his face in Minseok's neck and hair.

Minseok didn't treat him like an omega. (Though he did have some odd notions about omegas in general from watching too much porn, but he usually asked instead of making assumptions, and Luhan was happy to answer. He wished more people would just ask the questions.) Minseok played soccer with him. Minseok went to parties and dinner with him. Minseok watched movies and hung out in his small apartment (leaving his scent deliciously everywhere) and  _cuddled_ him. Minseok didn't think his desire to go to college was weird and never suggested he didn't  _need_ to study.

Luhan liked everything about Minseok, except his interest in alphas. He'd been shy about admitting it, since betas weren't supposed to want an alpha, but when Luhan hadn't shunned him for it, he talked about it freely. There were times he sounded like one of the hard up omegas from the house.

Still, Luhan thought maybe he might have a chance, because of the way Minseok nuzzled his neck when he was half asleep.

One night they were incredibly drunk and Luhan took his shot. He did everything that would have driven an alpha mad with lust, even offering his wet hole by sitting on Minseok's lap and grinding on him. It was the omega equivalent of begging to be fucked. Minseok hadn't responded. Well, not to that. He had when Luhan was pulling his hair and kissing him. Minseok's mouth tasted wonderful, and his scent took on a slight chocolate bitterness when he was aroused. He jerked Luhan off, after Luhan put a hand down the front of his underwear.

The next morning Luhan had been scared and confused, and he wasn't used to either feeling. He lied that he didn't remember anything and joked about how it would have been a mistake if they'd done something ridiculous like making out. He even said, "It might ruin our friendship." There had been a hurt expression on Minseok's face, but Luhan hadn't taken it back. He could have, but he hadn't. In fact, he hid in the library for the next several weeks and avoided his best friend until he couldn't stand being apart from his Minseok any more.

Before Luhan could work of his courage to ask if, maybe, Minseok could ever like him as more than just a friend,  _Jongdae_  swept Minseok away.

Luhan wanted to hate the alpha's guts. But Jongdae was, after Minseok, the nicest person in the world. Entirely too nice and laid-back for an alpha. His smile was warm and inviting, and he laughed a lot. He didn't try to interfere with Minseok and Luhan's friendship or treat Luhan like a 'lesser' being. He actually worked to be Luhan's friend and invited him out with them.

And he smelled  _good_.

_Too good._

The kind of  _good_ that made Luhan swallow hard, shift in his seat, and clench his ass. It wasn't something he ever had to deal with before. No other alpha ever smelled so right, made his body react just by being close. And, of course, the first alpha who did was his best friend's boyfriend. Even if it hadn't been, Jongdae basically had an omega in Minseok. Other than a body that self-lubricated, there was nothing Luhan had to offer that was better than Minseok. And he would rather be sterilized than hurt Minseok that way.

Altogether the situation was tolerable.

Luhan grit his teeth and listened to Minseok's sexual exploits with Jongdae like a good best friend and tried not to wish he were part of them. He tried to ignore the way Jongdae smiled at him and ruffled his hair and how his body reacted to such simple, non-sexual interactions. It was miserable, but he didn't want to be apart from either of them. He wanted to be with them, always.

Not long after the knotting event, Minseok moved in with Jongdae, which was not surprising. They were basically mated. Luhan was depressed for a month, and then Jongdae said there was an apartment coming available next to them, which was cheaper than the shithole studio where Luhan was living. And manager of the building happened to be a friend of Jongdae's, so Luhan wouldn't get the 'omega price bump.'

Luhan jumped at the opportunity to be close to his beloved Minseok and the sweet smell of Jongdae. He didn't even consider the obvious drawbacks.

Like Minseok and Jongdae having sex with only a wall between them and Luhan.

It was summer and everyone's had their windows open. The smells wafted in alongside the lusty, desperate moans of Minseok begging to be fucked, of Minseok calling out Jongdae's name or simply simpering  _alpha_ over and over. It was much worse, smells and sounds more potent, when he pleaded to be knotted and Jongdae was growling.

Luhan was mortified that some lonely evenings he joined in, biting his lip to keep quiet as he touched himself. He imagined just what Minseok looked like as he moaned and whined like he was in heat. He imagined Jongdae with that infectious smile as he took Minseok.

Sometimes Luhan let his mind drift to how it would feel to take Jongdae's cock, how the knot would feel locked inside him. Which made him feel terrible, like the worst friend in the world many times over. Other times he had fantasies that  _good_ omegas weren't supposed to have, like what it would feel like to be thrusting into Minseok's willing body as his friend panted and gasped for more.

There was a lot of guilt the next day, especially if Jongdae had knotted Minseok, because the alpha always called Luhan over to keep an eye on Minseok. (No matter how much Minseok said otherwise, he really did need looking after. Minseok loved taking Jongdae's knot, but he needed a full day recovery every time. There had even been one hospital visit after Jongdae miscalculated his rut, when alphas were most potent and notoriously rough.) It was also a subtle reminder of who Minseok belonged to, who Minseok's alpha was.

Jongdae wasn't really being a dick about it. He could have been, but he wasn't. (Luhan knew, if he'd been an alpha, he would have been incredibly possessive over Minseok. He kind of was with only being Minseok's friend.) He might playfully growl and jokingly remind Luhan that Minseok was  _his_ , but then he gave Luhan's hair a ruffle or his neck a pet and left Minseok in Luhan's care.

It was odd.

***

Exo Planet was a large club divided into three distinctly different bars, connected by some dark 'make out' hallways.

The largest section was the dance club, managed by an alpha named Yixing. The other parts, one a fairly standard bar with food service and various games and the other a more performance centered lounge setting where Jongdae performed under the name Chen six nights a week, was managed by a beta named Junmyeon. (There were salacious rumors about Yixing and Junmyeon being in a relationship, which Jongdae said were untrue at the same time he was nodding emphatically they were true.)

Minseok, and Luhan by extensions, got the best service and prime seating when they hung out at the club. If Jongdae knew they were going to show up, one of the reserved booths near his stage was always empty for them. The bartenders also tended to be generous when making their drinks, meaning if a cocktail called for a shot, they got a shot and a half, no up-charge. Meaning Minseok tended to get drunk on accident, not factoring in the extra alcohol.

There was good reason for Luhan to take comfort in the fact Minseok pretty much only drank with him or Jongdae.

Right now they were sitting in one of the private booths by the stage while Jongdae was finishing his last set. He really did have a beautiful voice. Minseok had given up trying to be upright under his own power and was leaning on Luhan's shoulder. Luhan had an arm around his waist, just to keep him steady. Nuzzling Minseok's hair and inhaling the scent of him had been far less innocent, and Luhan hoped Jongdae hadn't noticed. But he had a prickle along his spine that the alpha had looked over at that moment.

Minseok snuggled closer, loosely wrapping his arms around Luhan's waist. "Jongdae has crazy ideas sometimes," he said with a yawn. "D'you know, he thinks you like me."

Luhan didn't know who he wanted to kill more. Himself or Jongdae.

He cleared his throat. "Get over yourself, Min," he said, and decided he definitely wanted to kill himself more, both out of embarrassment that Jongdae noticed and for never admitting his fucking feelings. If he had, maybe he would be cuddling his boyfriend instead of someone else's.

Minseok laughed and let out a long sigh, hot breath on Luhan's neck. "That's what I told him you'd say. You know we both like you, right?"

"You're drunk," Luhan said, sure this was some kind of cosmic punishment for jerking off.

"So?"

"You have a boyfriend, Min. You're practically mated," Luhan said, grimacing at the hard edge his voice had and glad Minseok was too hammered to notice. "The sexy alpha who knots you, remember him? Pick up your head and you can see him."

"Mm hm. You'd like his knot, too," Minseok said dreamily.

Luhan had listened to full length novels on Jongdae's cock and knot. He'd never had an interest in knowing that much about any alpha, especially  _Minseok's_ alpha. About an alpha he couldn't help feeling an attraction for and whose knot he was never going to feel locked inside him, because that would be both of them betraying the sweet beta they loved.

The urge to shove Minseok away was strong, but Luhan didn't. Because Minseok wasn't meaning to hurt him. 

Jongdae slid into the booth, and Luhan hadn't even realized he'd stopped singing. He sat next to Luhan, draping his arm on the back of the booth behind Luhan's head. There was makeup on his face, and with his high cheekbones and strong jaw, he looked a bit like the sparkle vampires that were popular some years ago.

"What're you to talking about?" he asked with a smile.

"Your knot," Luhan growled.

"Seok," Jongdae said with a sigh, furrowing his brow. Not that it mattered.  Minseok had dozed off against Luhan's shoulder. "He's had too much to drink. Sorry, Lu."

"It's fine," Luhan said.

It was  _not_ fine.

But what else could he do?

***

Luhan walked into the cafe were Minseok worked, desperately needing caffeine and to see his Minseok, even for just a moment. Instead he found a line he could not handle the idea of waiting in. Though, at least he got a glimpse of his smiling friend working at the counter.

He caught the scent of Jongdae before he noticed the alpha at a corner table. His smell mixed nicely with the aromas of the coffee shop. Probably another subconscious reason Minseok liked him. Luhan would have heard about it if it were a conscious one.

Jongdae smiled and waved him over. "Hey, Luhan," he said. "How's it going. I haven't seen you much lately."

Luhan set his backpack down and sat across from Jongdae. He scrubbed at his face with his hands and let out a sigh. "Work sucks."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Jongdae frowned and gave him a concerned look. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Luhan shrugged as he grabbed one of the little snack cakes Jongdae had in front of him and ate it. He hadn't eaten all day and it helped. Belatedly he realized how familiar he was acting with an alpha who was not his alpha in a public setting. Not  _good_ omega behavior. Not that he cared as Jongdae nudged the plate toward him and he ate another.

"We have a new manager down at the restaurant," he said. He cleared tables and washed dishes at a place that advertised as serving real, upscale Italian food. "He has something against non-Koreans and," Luhan grimaced, "and omegas. I'm used it and I don't mind working split shifts sometimes, but he's only been giving me split shifts and says it's the only way they can accommodate my class schedule." That was bullshit. The last manager had. "It feels like I'm working twelve hours and only getting paid for six, and I'm so tired all the time..."

"You want me to talk to him?" Jongdae asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Why?" Luhan replied, blinking in surprise.

"Because that's totally not cool and assholes like that usually only listen to other alphas. Sorry," he added with a grimace, like he was apologizing for the entire gender.

"Not your fault," Luhan said as he glanced away. "It's fine. My issue."

"Don't be shy. You're one of my best friends." Jongdae gave him a wink when he looked back. "Just think about it, okay?"

"Okay."

Jongdae made a humming sound as he took another sip of his coffee and then set the cup down. He flashed a smile as he leaned across the table. "Hey, Seok's birthday is coming up. Any idea what we can do for him? I want it to be special."

Luhan glanced over at his best friend who was laughing with the woman at the counter. "I'm not sure. What's he want?"

"You," Jongdae said. Luhan jerked around and met Jongdae's dark eyes, seconds passed before the man smiled. "To come to whatever we do, of course."

"Of course," Luhan said, swallowing hard, feeling nearly breathless.

"What are you two talking about?" Minseok asked cheerfully as he came over to their table.

"Nothing," Jongdae and Luhan answered together.

"Right," Minseok said, setting a cup of coffee in front of Luhan. Prepared just the way he liked it. "Well, I don't want a big deal this year. Just you two."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jongdae said, whistling. "We weren't talking about you."

"Selfish," Luhan teased, clicking his tongue as he picked up his coffee.

***

Luhan  _hated_ his biology.

His heat came a week early and started on the worst possible day. Minseok's birthday.

It was probably the stressful combination of an erratic sleep schedule and lack of eating due to his split shifts. Suppressants were no help once a heat began. Best they could do was make the duration shorter and mildly (a word which in this case meant not at all) more tolerable to endure. (It was an alpha conspiracy no one had invented a way to deal with a heat in-progress, Luhan was sure of it.) He would need to call into work in the morning for medical leave, and he knew his alpha boss was going to be a total dick about how this was why omegas shouldn't have jobs.

Not that he cared what his stupid manager had to say, he was just trying to keep his mind off how he didn't want to disappoint Minseok. But he couldn't go anywhere as he was now.

He finally sent Minseok a text to say he was sick and he'd make it up to him. Then Luhan crawled into bed to cry and futility try to give himself relief.

Luhan wasn't sure how long he'd been rolling around miserably in his bed, but his sheets were sticky with sweat and semen when someone started knocking on his front door. He ignored it as he pressed his face into a pillow with a lingering hint of Minseok's scent and worked three fingers in and out of his slick hole, licking his lips as he let his treacherous mind tease him with the fantasy of an alpha that was basically Jongdae.

The knocking continued until stopping abruptly.

His mind was so addled by the heat it didn't occur to him who was, of course, going to come knocking. Or that the person had a key to his apartment. Not until he heard Minseok's sweet voice in the main room, calling his name.

"Luhan? You okay? I just noticed your text."

" _No_ ," Luhan moaned, followed by a string of expletives in Chinese as he pulled his fingers out and rolled off the bed.

He managed the forethought of pulling on shorts before he opened the bedroom door. Minseok was there with a couple different cold medicines in his hands, wearing a pair of shorts and a shirt Luhan hated for the way it always slipped to expose that join between neck and shoulder where Luhan wanted to press his face. Minseok's eyes had gone wide, slightly dilated, as he inhaled. "Oh. You're that kind of not feeling well."

Luhan wanted to just curl up and die as he clutched the door frame.

His cheeks were damp and his eyes hurt from crying with anguish and  _need_. His chin shiny with drool because, yes, omegas tended to salivate more in heat. He felt wave after wave of humiliation crash over him as he thought about standing there, his ass loose and wet, his body's natural lubrication leaking down his thighs, covered in sweat and his own semen, painfully hard in the shorts, almost panting in desperate need, as Minseok stood there staring at him with a dropped jaw. His friend could probably see the tangled mess of the bed behind him. This was the worst day of Luhan's life.

"I-I'll call you when it's over," Luhan managed to croak as he started to retreat.

Minseok shook himself as the cold medicine fell out of his hand, rolling on the floor and utterly forgotten. He jumped forward and grabbed the door, pushing it back so Luhan couldn't shut it. "Wait, Lu!"

The spicy, sweet scent of Minseok filled his nostrils, spiked with that hint of chocolate bitterness. Luhan put a hand over his nose and mouth as he swayed back from the door to try and put distance between them. "You need to go," he managed to force out.

"I can't leave you like this," Minseok said, looking concerned as he stepped into the bedroom. "You're freaking out."

Luhan let out a bark of laughter. "Of course I'm freaking out!" he shouted, feeling what the people at the omega house called heat hysteria set in. The tears just kept falling down his cheeks. "I'm gushing like a," he slipped out of Korean to swear in Chinese before forcing himself to back to a language Minseok understood, "a waterfall and no matter how much I come it's no relief!

"It's natural," Minseok offered, not knowing that was the worst thing he could say.

Luhan growled at him, flashing his teeth, and Minseok's eyes went even wider. He  _hated_ hearing it was natural for his body to betray him. "Get out," he managed to say as Minseok came closer, too close.

"I'm sorry, Lu. I didn't mean..." Minseok was saying as Luhan realized in utter horror his friend was moving to  _hug_ him.

The intoxicating smell. The warmth. The feeling of Minseok's arms wrapping around him.

It was too much.

Luhan didn't know what he was doing. No, he knew exactly what he was doing, he just couldn't seem to stop himself. He shoved Minseok onto the bed and fell on top of him, grinding his needy body against his friend's as he  _kissed_ him. Minseok gasped. Luhan slid his tongue into the inviting warmth and tasted a hint of coffee, a bit of sugar and cream. He ran a hand through Minseok's hair, pulling so his friend arched under him and opened his mouth wider. Minseok's hands were on his shoulders, not quite pushing him away, but not holding him close either.

It felt so good, so right, and it was totally wrong.

Luhan tore his mouth away from Minseok's and buried his face against his friend's exposed shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whimpered as the tears streamed down his flushed cheeks. "I'm so, so sorry."

He could feel Minseok breathing heavily beneath him as one arm slid around Luhan's waist in a hug, his other hand stroking Luhan's sweat-soaked hair. "It's okay, Lu. I like you. It's okay."

Luhan choked on his sobs, knowing Minseok was just being kind and trying to make him feel better. "You have Jongdae."

"He likes you, too."

"So, what?" Luhan almost snarled, wanting Minseok to get angry and leave so he could be miserable alone. "You want to have a threesome or something?"

"Yeah," Minseok admitted shyly. "We... kind of already have."

"What?"

The arm around Luhan tightened just a bit, as if to keep him from fleeing. "I, uh, we know you sometimes listen, you know, when Jongdae and I are together." Luhan froze in horror as Minseok kept on speaking. "The window's open and we can... smell you, too. Your scent, um, gets more potent when you're... so, we kind of know. And... I've heard you, too." Luhan thought the mortification he felt right now should be enough to kill him, but he kept on breathing, and Minseok kept talking. "I mean, we both always... It drives Jongdae a bit wild. I just think you smell nice. I always have." He turned his head to press his nose behind Luhan's ear. "It's even better this close. Fresh. It reminds me of clovers."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Luhan whispered. "I'm sorry I like you."

"Do you really like me?" Minseok asked. "Like  _that_?"

"Yes."

"Jongdae?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to? With us?"

"Yes.  _Yes_."

Minseok stopped hugging him and shifted, he made Luhan lift his head so their eyes met. Then he smiled.

Luhan was sure the heat and guilt was making him delusional as the small, plush, beautiful mouth he had admired for so long kissed him. It was a sweet kiss, just like Minseok himself, and Luhan hungrily returned it, licking into his best friend's mouth a second time.

"Min," Luhan moaned when they separated.

"I like how you kiss," Minseok said, dark eyes glittering as he wiggled out from under Luhan. "Come on. Jongdae's waiting."

It was dreamlike the way Minseok took his hand and pulled him up from the bed, leading him out of the apartment and to the apartment he shared with Jongdae. He got a strong whiff of the alpha over the smell of Minseok's favorite dinner, and his omega body became even more embarrassing to him. His shorts were soaked like an omega in a porno surrounded by viable alphas would do everything but fuck him.

"He's not sick," Minseok called, still holding Luhan's hand. "He's in heat."

"Obviously!" Jongdae shouted, looking horrified as he came out of the kitchen with a hand over his nose and got as far away from Luhan as he could without leaving. "Fuck."

"We're going to help him out," Minseok said.

"Seok, you know how I feel..."

"Same as I do," Minseok said, squeezing Luhan's hand and looking at him. "Same as he does."

"Really?" Jongdae said, sounding doubtful.

"Yes," Luhan managed to whimper, deciding to just be honest. "I'm jealous whenever I... I just... I want..."

"I know you like Minseok," Jongdae said, his voice low, but compassionate.

"I like you, too," Luhan choked out, hanging his head. "That's why I didn't like you at first, because you were good for Min, and... I like you, too."

"Seok?" Jongdae said, his voice rough.

"This is exactly what I want for my birthday."

***

Luhan was pretty sure he was dreaming as he stood just inside Minseok and Jongdae's bedroom,  _kissing_ Minseok.

Jongdae suggested they go get started while he put dinner away to reheat later. His smile was back and he winked at Luhan and admitted he wasn't used to being near an omega in heat. He needed a minute to gather himself and cool off the intense uber-alpha reaction he was having.

Minseok pulled out of the kiss, but his hands were still roaming over Luhan's chest, and he was smiling. "You can still say no and change your mind," he said, taking Luhan over to the bed. "Pretty much until Jongdae knots you. You are kind of committed once that happens."

"He's going to knot me?" Luhan asked, shivering with pleasure at the idea.

"I guess he doesn't have to," Minseok said as if it had never occurred to him otherwise. "He won't if you don't want it."

"No," Luhan whispered. "I want it."

"Don't think I'm a pervert, but I want to see it," Minseok said, his voice shy.

"You watch too much alpha-omega porn," Luhan said, which Minseok absolutely did. "One knot sinking into a slick hole is the same as another."

"That's not true," Minseok said as he sat Luhan on the side of the bed. "And I want to watch your face, is what I want."

"Oh," Luhan said, letting Minseok take off his short. "When did you start liking me?"

"I always liked you," Minseok admitted as he took off his shirt to reveal his fit body, firm stomach.

"Then why didn't you react that night... I was in your lap?"

"You do remember!" Minseok said, hands frozen on the waist of his shorts. "Why'd you lie?"

Luhan glanced at the open window as he trembled. "Because I was doing everything an alpha could want and you weren't getting hard, and I didn't want you to stop being my friend," he said in a rush. It felt good to finally admit, especially when he could blame tears the cracking voice on his heat.

"I'm never going to stop being your friend, Lu," Minseok said as he sat on the bed, still wearing his shorts. "I got hard when I jerked you off."

"That was pity."

"No," Minseok said, grabbing his chin. "Oh, Lu. I wanted  _you_ grinding on  _my_ ass."

"I'm an omega."

"You're a person I like, someone I want to have sex with," Minseok said, giving him a soft kiss. "I thought we were going to start dating, and then you didn't remember."

"I'm sorry," Luhan said as he stroked his fingers down Minseok's neck.

"I'm sorry, too."

They kissed again, scooting further onto the bed. "I fantasize about you a lot," Luhan admitted as Minseok pushed him to lean back against some pillows. "And about your boyfriend, sorry."

Minseok giggled. "It's okay. He fantasizes about you, too, about us. Sometimes he tells me about it to get me in the mood."

Luhan didn't have time to process that as Minseok grinned and bowed his head between Luhan's legs. He nuzzled the balls and staining cock, his tongue gliding over all Luhan's aching parts. Luhan had imagined this a million times, and reality was a lot better. He let out a huff of air and threaded his fingers into Minseok's hair as he felt his friend's mouth around the head of his cock, sucking and teasing the tip with his tongue. Slowly, Minseok swallowed his cock, his head bobbing at a gentle pace. He stroked a hand over the part of the shaft he couldn't take in his mouth, and Luhan decided he liked getting blowjobs. 

It didn't take Luhan long to come with a yelp and a jerk of his hips. Omegas actually came more, both amount of times and amount of semen, than alphas when in heat, but their sperm wasn't as potent. (Not that an omega impregnating someone was impossible, just unlikely. Luhan learned that after mounting another omega at the house when they couldn't find an alpha. That he even attempted to help in such a way had gotten him in a lot of trouble, but, fortunately, there had been no pregnancy.)

Minseok smiled when he lifted his head, his hand still stroking Luhan's cock, and something about the sight made Luhan come again. On his face.

"Sorry," Luhan moaned, not really feeling sorry.

"I saw your bed," Minseok said wiping his face as he took off his shorts and tossed them off the bed. "Um, you haven't seemed to go down..."

"Depends on the omega, but some omegas erections can last until they get relief," Luhan said, panting and looking at the ceiling. "And... I haven't had my heat in a while."

Minseok didn't reply to that as he stroked Luhan's inner thighs and along the back, his hand sliding toward Luhan's desperate hole. He thrust three fingers inside with no resistance, flexing and stretching. Minseok could have put his whole fist in.

"I've always been jealous of this," Minseok said, a bit of reverence in his voice as he teased Luhan.

"It's a nuisance," Luhan said in a moan.

"It's great."

Luhan bit his lip while Minseok played with his hole before finally pulling his fingers out. He flopped on his stomach next to Luhan, staring in wonder at Luhan's natural lubrication glistening on his fingers. Luhan watched his face, watched Minseok's nimble, wicked tongue slide between his lips in thought. He smiled a bit shyly as he reached back and did something Luhan thought he would find disgusting, but was the hottest thing  _ever_.

Minseok shifted on his knees a bit, raising his ass, giving a curve to his back. Luhan sat up and watched Minseok's finger, slick with his natural lubrication, tease his hole open before slipping inside. The moan Minseok let out would have given Luhan and erection and sent him into heat if he weren't already suffering it.

"I know it's sexy to watch, but he likes it more if you participate."

Luhan jumped and twisted to see Jongdae standing in the doorway, leaning there like he'd been watching a while. He had a sexy smile that pulled one side of his mouth higher than the other as he pushed away from the frame and came into the room, pulling his shirt off over his head. "You still feeling okay about this, Lu?" he asked as his hands hovered at the waist of his pants. "We're not trying to trick you. We just... like you."

Minseok seemed to be a bit lost in his own little world as he worked another finger inside himself.

"I want this," Luhan said, not entirely sure it wasn't all hormones. But he did want it now. "B-Both of you."

Jongdae leaned forward and dragged Luhan into a quick kiss, his alpha scent pouring over Luhan. There was a hint of cherry on his lips. He drew back and finished taking off his pants and underwear, allowing Luhan a moment to look at the cock Minseok had told so many tales about. It was large and the knot at the base was thick before it had a chance to grow. It wasn't the biggest Luhan had ever seen, but it did have a nice size and shape, one of the more attractive alpha cocks.

"How does Minseok take you?" Luhan couldn't help blurting out.

"I don't know," Jongdae admitted, a bit of shyness in the way he glanced away and then at Minseok fondly. "But he enjoys it."

Jongdae joined them on the bed, taking hold of Minseok's wrist as pulling his fingers out. Minseok made a keening sound of disappointment. "I know you want more," he said. "But Luhan hasn't had a chance to look at how sexy you are yet. Will you show off that pretty hole of yours?"

Minseok turned to Luhan, eyes a bit dilated, like he was high. "You want to see?"

Luhan swallowed dry as he nodded, unable to speak.

Minseok rolled onto his back and drew his knees to his chest, holding them there as Jongdae put some pillows under the small of his back for support. Luhan could see all of Minseok, from the sweet hole glistening with Luhan's natural lube, the pleasantly shaped balls, and the erection spilling precum on Minseok's well toned abs.

Jongdae got a tube of lube from the nightstand and tossed it to Luhan as he reached for Minseok's asscheeks, pulling them apart. "Betas tend to be really tight until they loosen up," he said, rubbing his thumb over the wet pucker, showing it off. "Minseok needs a lot of prep, a lot of lube and stretch work, which he likes." He leaned down and nipped at the back of Minseok's thigh, earning a yip. "Don't you, Seokie?"

"I-I need  _something_ ," Minseok whined. "Lu..."

Luhan felt the blush spreading across his entire body as he picked up the lube and put it on his fingers. (He was still reeling from how hot he found Minseok using the slick from his heat. In the future he wanted to... do more with that.) Jongdae gave him a wink and kept holding Minseok's ass as Luhan slid a finger inside, feeling the grip of his friend. It was nothing like fingering himself, where his muscles were accommodating. Minseok really did need to be stretched.

Jongdae whispered encouragement and advise in Luhan's ear, occasionally licking his neck, as Luhan slowly worked and stretched Minseok wide. Minseok was moaning,  rocking his hips, and was only kept in place by Jongdae by the time Luhan had three fingers inside. "Let me check him," Jongdae said when Luhan pulled his fingers out, and he struck two of his own inside the glistening hole, spreading them wide. "That's good for what Seokie wants, isn't it, baby?"

"Give it to me," Minseok moaned, hole sucking for something to draw in when Jongdae took his fingers out. "Luhan."

"Me?" Luhan said, feeling his eyes go wide. "I'm an omega."

"So? Minseok wants you," Jongdae said with a smirk, which faded for a moment. "Unless you don't want to..."

"I want to, I..." Luhan said. "It's like you have this all planned out."

"Lu..." Minseok moaned again.

"You've been dreaming alone, we've been doing it together," Jongdae said as he let go of Minseok's ass. Minseok kept his knees against his shoulders.

"What about you?" Luhan said, even as his own ass clenched, knowing the answer.

The alpha smiled at him and leaned over to whisper in Luhan's ear, his scent and that feeling of power and authority washed over Luhan, heightening his heat. It wasn't stifling now. "I want you to give Minseok what he wants, and I'm going to give you what you need," Jongdae said as he gently brushed his fingers over Luhan's neck and down his chest. "I want to knot you while you're deep in Seok. I want to do you both with the same thrust."

Luhan came from the description and he was pretty sure the spot where he was sitting was soaked clear to the mattress. "Okay," he said as he turned his head to nuzzle Jongdae's cheek. Then he licked Jongdae's cheek.

Jongdae laughed and kissed him before backing off as Luhan shifted toward Minseok. "Are you sure, Min?" he asked, as he slid his hand over the beta's thighs. He had lovely, smooth thighs. Luhan felt a need to lick them, but not right now. Right now, he had a feeling Minseok and him both wanted cock filling them. "Mine's not as big as Jongdae's."

"Luhan," Minseok said, and Luhan met the lust-filled eyes of his friend. "I want you, now."

"Oh, fuck," Luhan said as he positioned his cock at the entrance of  _Minseok's_ hole, sure this was the part of the dream where he woke up.

Minseok let his legs settle around Luhan, urging him on, cradling him as he pushed inside. The feel of Minseok's body made him gasp. It was so much better than a hand as it squeezed around him, so much warmer. He went slowly so he could enjoy the sensation, enjoy the pleas spilling from Minseok's mouth for more, faster, for  _Luhan_ to fill him. His hips jerked the last bit, a sharp slap of his hips against Minseok's ass as Minseok let out a pleasured cry.

" _Min_ ," Luhan moaned as Minseok's arms wrapped around his shoulders.

He started to move and found his rhythm quickly as Minseok let out all those breathy, wonderful sounds Luhan had been listening to for months. Minseok was beautiful, lips parted, hair feathered against the pillow, eyes like black holes. He once said he drooled like an omega in a porno when he was really enjoying himself, and he hadn't been exaggerating, saliva spilling from the corner of his mouth as he panted. The description hadn't been attractive to Luhan then, but now that Luhan saw for himself, he suddenly understood.

Luhan came with a cry as he spent himself inside Minseok and felt the beta's body clutch around him. Felt Minseok spill as well, onto his stomach.

He dropped his head to hide his face against Minseok's neck, still buried deep, and whimpered Jongdae's name. The need to be filled was on him again, tearing at his chest. Minseok's arms were around him, hugging him as the beta panted to his boyfriend: "Jongdae, he needs you."

The touch of Jongdae's hand on his back almost made him climax again. Jongdae kissing Minseok's arms where they were around Luhan and then Luhan's back did not help as his aching, empty hole wept. " _Alpha_ ," Luhan begged.

Jongdae's hands moved to his hips, and Luhan thrust back into them, pulling partly out of Minseok. "I'm not going to make you beg," Jongdae said, his voice filled with a primal roughness as Luhan felt the tip of the alpha's cock settle between his cheeks. "But you do still want this, don't you, Luhan?"

" _Yes_ ," Luhan said, moaning against Minseok's neck. "I want all of it,  _all of it._ "

"Give it to him,  _alpha_ ," Minseok added. "Take us."

Luhan clung to Minseok and sobbed tears of relief as Jongdae's cock started to fill him. His body was accommodating, but the alpha's cock was still large as Jongdae slowly pushed in up to his knot and gave Luhan a moment to get used to the sensation. "You okay?" Jongdae asked, stroking Luhan's sides and Luhan nodded where his face was pressed to Minseok's neck. Jongdae pulled partially out and gently thrust in again and again; his breathing was getting more ragged, and by the forth thrust he did it with enough momentum he forced Luhan fully back into Minseok.

Minseok and Luhan gasped as one and Jongdae let out a long moan.

It felt so incredibly  _good_  to be stuck between them. Luhan felt lost in a sea of ecstasy with his body being filled and his body filling. Jongdae's hands were on his hips as he panted and growled Luhan's name. Minseok held him and cried out intermittently, "Luhan," "Jongdae," "alpha," and even once, "omega." Luhan managed to lift his head so he could kiss Minseok, Minseok not seeming to mind all the saliva as their tongues played and they exchanged sloppy, wet moans.

Luhan was wracked with one more orgasm as Jongdae's thrusts became more insistent, and then he felt the knot inside him. He arched and cried out, gasping as the drool and tears streamed down his face. Jongdae's knot began to expand, locking their bodies together, and it was just as wonderful a feeling as Minseok claimed, too much, really. He felt a swell of guilt for taking Jongdae's cock on the first night when Minseok had wanted it for months before he got it, but then Minseok was grasping his cheeks and looking into his eyes and telling him how pretty he was. Luhan saw the awe and wonder on his best friend's face and sobbed for happiness as Jongdae kept thrusting, shifting, even though their bodies were locked.

They stayed like that for a while, before Jongdae wound and arm around Luhan's waist and rolled to his side. The knot was still firmly in place and Luhan was shivering in Jongdae's arms as he tried to get some control over himself. Jongdae nuzzled his neck, kissed it.

"I did use a condom," he assured Luhan.

"Thanks," Luhan managed dizzily. He was in heat. His body wanted to mate. It literally drove him to madness with a need to procreate. A condom was the furthest thing from his mind, and Luhan knew he was going to be grateful Jongdae thought of it later.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Minseok said as he gathered blankets to pull over them.

"Yeah," Luhan said as he pushed back into Jongdae, letting the alpha pet him.

Minseok leaned over to give Jongdae a kiss that turned into two kisses before settling down in front of Luhan so they could relax. Luhan kept pressing his hips back as if he could take any more of Jongdae inside him. He was grateful when his own erection finally wilted, because coming over and over with no end was stressful and could become painful. He watched as Minseok took one of Jongdae's hands and started sucking on his fingers, and totally zoned out while he was at it.

Luhan could feel Jongdae smiling in his ear. "He used to do it after I knotted him, so I'd know he was okay, even if he felt too overwhelmed to talk," Jongdae whispered to him. "I think it triggers a kind of euphoria for him now, by association."

"Oh," Luhan said, blushing as Minseok slobbered all over Jongdae's fingers.

How he could doze off in such a situation, Luhan had no idea. Except, he did feel incredibly safe and comfortable. He opened his eyes with Minseok snoring lightly against his chest and Jongdae pulling out. The whine that left his throat surprised even him. He'd heard other omegas talk about a kind of drop after being knotted, a desperate empty feeling when their alpha withdrew. He never expected to feel it.

"Are you okay?" Jongdae asked, leaning over and stroking his hair.

"I... don't know," Luhan answered honestly.

"Seok says his body needs to hold onto something a while longer," Jongdae said, coughing a bit. "Do you want a... butt plug? I swear it's not a sex thing."

Minseok was stirring and smiled up at Luhan, rubbing a hand comfortingly over Luhan's chest. "It really does help. I promise."

Luhan felt flushed even as he agreed. "Okay."

Jongdae got the plug from the top drawer of the dresser and Luhan's nerves relaxed by how embarrassed he seemed to be about it. Minseok was the one who had to ease it in, kissing Luhan's lower back as he did, and it did help. The plug wasn't as big as Jongdae's knot or even his cock, but it was something inside him, so he didn't suddenly feel so empty. On an instinctual level, it calmed that heat-addled part of his brain that wanted to reproduce by making it think none of the semen from the mating could escape, which was the biological reason for an alphas knot in the first place. Thankfully, Jongdae had remembered that condom.

"How do you feel?" Minseok asked after they all got dressed and went to have Minseok's reheated birthday dinner.

"My heat feels manageable now," Luhan said as he sat on the couch, shifting a bit awkwardly with the plug. "I'm sensitive, but not desperate."

"Your scent's a lot less potent," Minseok said, and they both ignored Jongdae adding, "Or we'd all still be in bed."

"I'm grateful for you both helping me," Luhan said, fussing at the sleeve of one of Jongdae's shirts. He had on some of Minseok's shorts, too.

"I've always wanted to help you," Minseok said as he sat down next to him, snuggling into Luhan like when they watched movies. "This is the best birthday I've ever had."

Luhan almost kissed him, and then realized he didn't know if that was all right. He turned to Jongdae in the kitchen instead. "Are you okay?"

Jongdae looked up from whatever he was checking in the oven. He grinned at them over the counter. "I just had a threesome with the two sexiest men I know. It may preemptively be  _my_ best birthday ever."

"That's not..."

"Luhan," Jongdae interrupted. "If I was going to challenge you over Minseok, I'd have done it  _way_ before I watched you, before I  _encouraged_ you to put your dick in him."

"Probably before I got my mouth on you, too," Minseok said, laughing.

"Seok's mine," Jongdae said as he met Luhan's eyes. "That doesn't mean I can't share. That doesn't mean you can't be ours."

"We want you," Minseok said as he hugged Luhan around the middle.

"I..." Luhan started to speak and then felt panicked.

"Just think about it," Minseok said softly. "I wouldn't ask you to make choices like that in a heat, even a diminished one. Just... know we want you."

"I do like how that sounds," Luhan admitted.

***

Luhan knocked on the door of Minseok and Jongdae's apartment and waited for Jongdae to open the door.

The alpha grinned at him and waved him inside. "You don't need to knock, Lu. You basically live here at this point," he said as he pulled Luhan into a kiss and ruffled his hair. "How was work?"

"Long, but not bad. My schedule sucks a lot less these days."

"That's good," Jongdae said with a grin.

Luhan didn't like relying on an alpha to fight his battles, but it was great not to be working split shifts any more. Also, he might have really enjoyed the part where Jongdae and his alpha coworker Yixing showed up because he wanted to talk to  _whoever_  it was that had been giving  _his_ omega a hard time. Luhan still wasn't sure how he felt about being someone's omega, let alone two someone's omega, but he didn't regret it so far. This had been a wonderful two months.

"Where's Minseok?"

"Bedroom. He was feeling lightheaded after work, again," Jongdae said, looking a little worried. "Check on him. I'm making you guys dinner before I head to the club."

"We could figure out dinner," Luhan said as he dropped his backpack on the couch.

"You two eat like crap when I don't feed you."

Luhan couldn't argue with that. His idea of cooking was microwave meals and Minseok's was smiling at Jongdae to leave him some money for delivery. He went into the bedroom, so overwhelmingly filled with their smell, and saw Minseok curled up on top of the covers. Luhan slid onto the bed behind the beta an pressed his face to the join of neck and shoulder, inhaling the rich, sweet scent and leaving a kiss. Minseok was especially nice smelling the last couple weeks.

"I'm starting to think all you ever wanted was to sniff me there," Minseok said with a sleepy laugh.

"That and to snuggle you without worrying whether or not you'll freak if I get hard."

"Definitely won't freak."

"You okay? Jongdae said you weren't feeling well."

"Just another one of those spells."

"I'm worried about you," Luhan said, stroking his hair.

Minseok rolled his shoulders. "It's probably just stress. Jongdae's going in on that deal with Junmyeon," he said. Jongdae was planning on making an offer to buy Exo Planet with Junmyeon and Yixing, "and I have to tell my dad I decided to drop out of college when I go visit in two weeks."

"Are you going to tell him about us?" Luhan asked. Not really caring.

"Maybe? Probably. Depends how melodramatic he gets about the college thing."

"You sure about dropping out?"

"You're going to go somewhere using your brain, Luhan," Minseok said, pushing into him. "I like working at the coffee shop. That's where I see myself in twenty years."

Luhan crinkled his nose and pulled Minseok tighter against his chest. It was Minseok's choice, and Minseok really didn't seem to have any interest in academics any more. If Luhan were honest, he never really had. But Luhan still didn't like it.

Jongdae knocked on the door even as he walked in and sat on the end of the bed, patting Minseok's calf. "How's he doing?"

"He can hear you and he's fine," Minseok said, halfheartedly kicking Jongdae. Luhan laughed. "Dinner?"

"Feel up to it?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Minseok said, squirming away from Luhan and getting off the bed. "Maybe a little dehydrated."

It didn't sound quite right as Minseok got up and proceeded them out of the room, bumping his shoulder against the door frame. Luhan glanced over at Jongdae who looked back at him and had a deep frown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are like candy! ^_^ Next chapter is Jongdae.
> 
> Also posted on Asianfanfics.


	3. Charmed Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. Jongdae was fighting me on this chapter.

For as long as Jongdae could remember, everyone told him he lived a charmed life.

He didn't disagree.

He seemed to have been born lucky, happy, and gregarious, without feeling a need to be shy about who he was or what he wanted. Maybe that was alpha privilege. His parents, and pretty much his entire extended family, were betas, which helped keep his childhood free of toxic alpha culture. For which he was grateful after the first time he saw an alpha go after his best friend, and his friend seeming to think it was fine,  _normal_. Not to say he didn't sometimes feel those intense alpha urges for dominance, but he didn't let them control him. (Though, he was a handful for his poor beta parents during his hormonal, rebellious teenage phase. But overall, he felt he avoided the pitfalls of the  _normal_ alpha mentality, such as being a dick to any non-alpha.)

After he turned nineteen he moved to Seoul, because he wanted to sing. He had a brief flirtation with the idea of idol life before becoming a backup singer at the lounge in Exo Planet, working his way up to main act. The atmosphere suited him better; he was able to sing and had more control over his career, not to mention there were no lifestyle rules for him to follow.

Basically, he loved his job, his coworkers were great, and he was happy. He hadn't thought his life could get any better, because it was pretty much perfect.

Then he met Minseok.

The first time Jongdae saw Minseok he was half-delirious after two awful days of taking care of one of his friends, Yixing, who had caught the flu. (Alphas almost never got sick, and when they did every single one seemed to possess a genetic predisposition for being an  _awful_ patient. It was like alphas expelled sickness in the form of meanness to those around them. To this day, Jongdae had no idea what Yixing said to his boyfriend, and he didn't think Yixing remembered either. But it was the first and last time Jongdae saw Junmyeon in tears, gritting his teeth as he pleaded with Jongdae to take care of Yixing, because he was sleeping at the club.) The point was, Yixing had been on the mend and Junmyeon had finally come home. Meaning Jongdae was relieved of duty. Jongdae was beyond exhausted and had stopped in for coffee at a cafe near Yixing and Junmyeon's apartment to get enough caffeine in his system he could make it back to his own place.

He hadn't expected to fall in love with a smile (wide, a bit gummy, pure, honest) and the lively twinkling eyes of the adorable beta walking him through his order. To Jongdae he had a light orange, vanilla scent that mixed perfectly with the taste of cream and coffee.

From then on Jongdae made it part of his daily routine (utterly disappointed on days the beta was off) to get coffee at the cafe, even though it was out of his way. He found out the barista's name was Minseok and he was a college student and former high school soccer player. (The last explained the nice legs and firm ass hidden in the black slacks.)

Jongdae asked a million questions about coffee when he ordered, remembering pretty much none of the answers because he was too busy watching the way Minseok's mouth formed the words to listen to them. It took a while to figure out if Minseok was actually flirting back or if he was just that nice. (Making a pass at an uninterested beta could be a problem.) But Jongdae was pretty confident he had a chance when Minseok would trade jobs with his coworkers just to bring out his coffee when he stayed at the cafe.

Turned out Minseok had a bit of (and that was an understatement) an alpha fetish, which startled Jongdae. But so long as the fetish settled on him as the one and only alpha, and he was able to keep Minseok satisfied and happy, it was all good.

Minseok was fun and wonderful to be around, and the sex was some of the best Jongdae had in his life. It took a bit to work up to sex, since Jongdae had taken rejection from beta lovers before due to his size. (He didn't blame them. Mostly he dated betas and tended to be the dominant partner in bed, but he had dated alphas before, too, and hadn't always been on top. He had complete sympathy for that look in a person's eyes when they knew it just wasn't going to be possible. But he'd also fallen incredibly hard for Minseok and felt a rare alpha  _need_ to claim him, to be inside him.) The stress was unnecessary. Minseok loved his cock possibly more than Jongdae himself did. He even wanted Jongdae's knot, and that was insane, especially when he  _took it_  and was  _happy_ after.

The only problem between them was Luhan.

Jongdae had heard a lot about the omega before ever meeting him. Alpha fetish or not, Minseok had a serious soft spot for his best friend and was always talking about how smart and funny he was. (Later learning Luhan had been suffering through similar talks about Jongdae made him feel better.) 

Luhan was the first omega Jongdae ever had a physical reaction toward, and he didn't miss Luhan seemed to have the same issue with him.

Not that he was going to throw Luhan down and mate with him like some kind of trashy romance novel alpha, even if they weren't both in love with Minseok. (How Minseok could be oblivious to the way Luhan looked at him, Jongdae had no clue. Not that he wanted Minseok noticing. In fact, realizing he had a potential rival spurred Jongdae into asking Minseok on that first date.)

He became friends with Luhan instead.

Minseok was absolutely right about Luhan being smart, having a biting humor, and being fun to be around. His cynicism played well against Jongdae's own optimism.

Jongdae had never dated or been with an omega, never felt a particular desire for it, but he had been around a few. His best friend growing up, Baekhyun, was an omega. And a prickly one like Luhan, who defied the gender norm of omegas being submissive and sweet-tempered. (Baekhyun ran away from home their senior year of high school without a note or anything, and Jongdae never saw him again. That still hurt.)

Luhan wound up spending a lot of time with him and Minseok.

There were moments when Jongdae admitted to having wrong thoughts about the time all of them spent together. Like the nights after Minseok moved in and they would invite Luhan over to watch a movie. Being a night owl, Jongdae tended to make it to the end of movies, but his two day working companions didn't. Minseok would fall asleep across his lap as Luhan would drift, leaning on his shoulder.

It was a perfect moment. Jongdae's fingers stroking Minseok's neck and shoulder and the soft smell and warmth of Luhan resting at his side.

If only his brain had been content with that much intimacy.

But alphas always wanted  _more_ , wanted  _everything_.

He helped Luhan get the apartment next to his and Minseok's. (Considering how things happened after, it almost seemed like a trap, but it wasn't. Luhan lived in an awful studio in a less than savory part of the city. However, he respected it was Luhan's choice. But he could not handle Minseok walking to and from there late at night.) It was a few weeks later Jongdae felt compelled to confess to Minseok he'd been having... daydreams of an inappropriate nature about their omega friend.

Jongdae expected crying, because there had been tears when Minseok had it in his head Jongdae and Luhan were going to run off together.

But Minseok smiled and asked Jongdae to tell him about the daydreams, after which they had fantastic sex. Because for how sweet and seemingly innocent Minseok was, he was often comfortable with things that made Jongdae blush. He was the one that would purr Luhan was probably doing  _something_ to smell so potent they could catch whiffs of his intoxicating scent through the open window. And that  _something_ coincided with nights he and Jongdae were being intimate.

It felt kind of immoral for their friend to be an aphrodisiac, but if Minseok didn't mind...

Then Luhan went into an early heat, which had been Jongdae's nightmare turned fantasy, and now Jongdae had them both. 

He led a charmed life, after all.

So far the most amazing moment (and he was sure he would continue having new  _most amazing_  moments) was the first night Luhan agreed to stay when Jongdae was going to knot Minseok. The omega had been skittish about it. (Minseok was clueless, but Jongdae got it. He sometimes was still incredibly worried about hurting Minseok, especially after already having one incident. Luhan didn't want to see Minseok get hurt, especially sexually.) But Minseok had a way of getting what he wanted.

Luhan helped prep Minseok under Jongdae's instruction. His cheeks were flush and he kept trying to pretend his breath wasn't catching in his throat. There was this beautiful lusty fascination in his eyes the moment he worked his entire hand inside Minseok, saw it disappear into the beta. His ears went red as Minseok mewled and wiggled his hips to get some friction, to feel the hand inside him. Jongdae had been grinning from ear to ear as he kissed Luhan's neck and whispered in his ear, told him to slowly form a fist and start moving it, so Minseok would be ready for his knot.

_So. Fucking. Sexy._

Of course, relationships weren't all sex. (Though the sex was good, as all three of them had strong drives and mostly compatible urges.) There were a handful of kinks to work out in day-to-day aspects of their lives.

Luhan didn't want to move in with them. He said it was because he needed the privacy to study, and there was some truth to it, but Jongdae was pretty sure he was scared of any kind of commitment being an end to his independence. (And, honestly, a one bedroom for three adult men was too small, even if they did share a bed.) Though, he did come over and sleep with them almost every night, except if he had tests the next day.

Minseok was running himself ragged trying to make sure both his lovers felt they were getting enough affection. (He had a habit of doing too much and stretching himself thin, and that was why Jongdae didn't immediately notice the lethargy, dizzy spells, and other signs of something amiss with the beta.)

Jongdae admitted to being a bit aloof while waiting to see how the three of them settled in together, and so he didn't accidentally set off Luhan's issues. Though doing so was setting off Minseok's issues. But Minseok accepted his comfort and reassurances more readily.

The friendship and physical attraction existed between all of them, it was just a matter of the time it took to transition into more. (Because Jongdae wanted them both, and Minseok was deliriously happy to have his first love  _and_ his alpha. Luhan was busy fighting his desires sometimes, but then he showed up at their apartment and seemed to relax while eating dinner and watching a movie.)

Having a pair of lovers also made Jongdae want to do things he never considered.

Namely, be a responsible alpha.

Minseok and Luhan didn't ask for anything in particular, and both had their own incomes and interests, but Jongdae  _needed_ to provide. If nothing else, once Luhan came around, he wanted to find a house for them. Some place Luhan could have space of his own, but not be in a separate place, not behind locked doors. Some place Minseok could tend a bigger garden beyond the three potted plants on the bedroom windowsill. Some place Jongdae could have them both safe and close.

Luckily, Jongdae's charmed life once again provided for the needs of his growing family.

Junmyeon found out the owners were selling Exo Planet (which terrified Jongdae when he heard it) and he wanted to buy it. He'd been manager for seven years, and he was good at it. (Junmyeon basically did the work of owner without the privilege of being final say on big decisions.)

The only problem, Junmyeon was a beta.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't a legal issue. Betas had all the rights of any other person. But in a business world saturated with aggressive alphas from that toxic culture Jongdae hated, it was an issue. Alphas would deal fair with, and even show respect to, a competent beta manager; but they would walk all over a beta owner simply for not being an alpha.

It was sick and wrong, but it was how their world worked. Junmyeon knew he needed an alpha face on the deal.

Jongdae, who was a little blindsided by all this, pointed out Yixing, Junmyeon's business and life partner (not to mention another manager), was also an alpha. Junmyeon smiled and explained Yixing being a Chinese national meant he was subject to a completely different set of prejudices. They needed a Korean alpha, preferably one who had a vested interest in Exo Planet already, and someone who was their friend was even more ideal.

He ran the idea by Minseok and Luhan before agreeing. Because he felt that was part of a lasting relationship, group decisions. Being a non-alpha and Chinese, Luhan was a snarky about their need for Jongdae, but thought it would be good. Minseok was worried about something going wrong, but ultimately said he trusted Junmyeon's judgement.

It did mean getting a house would be pushed back, but also that Jongdae could afford a nicer one when the time was right...

***

"I feel guilty."

"Seok said it was okay."

"Do you really think he meant it?"

Jongdae bit Luhan's neck and earned a pleasured moan. "If he saw you in the state you're in, Lu, he'd insist," he said as they stumbled across Luhan's living room toward the bedroom.

Normally, Jongdae didn't get up before noon, but when his latest boyfriend called him at 10:02am begging Jongdae to come get him, Jongdae immediately hauled his ass out of bed. He wasn't accustomed to Luhan sounding needy, and he'd been sure the omega was hurt. So it was a relief and a shock to get to campus and have a heat-addled Luhan jump him. Luhan, it seemed, either had potent heats or was out of practice handling them after four years of relying on suppressants. (He had warned Jongdae and Minseok he wasn't going to be taking suppressants for a while, so he could figure out if his surprise early heat on Minseok's birthday was simply stress or if his cycle shifted to a shorter period. So far it looked like his cycle altered, but it took going through approximately six heats to be sure.)

Through a miracle (and a lot of huffing each other's scents in the back of a taxi), Jongdae got Luhan back to the building, and realized he didn't have his keys. Luhan had a spare in his apartment. Now the omega was ripping his shirt off and neither of them cared about keys or which apartment they were in.

Jongdae managed to hold the omega's cheeks and made Luhan's beautiful, brown, and dilated eyes meet his for ten seconds of serious talk. "Hey, Luhan. You're  _our_ boyfriend," he said as he kissed him quick before going on. "Meaning you're Minseok's boyfriend and also  _my_ boyfriend." He licked his lips. "Or do you not want to be with me?"

Luhan's hands were on his forearms as he growled something in Chinese that Jongdae, knowing none of the language, was going to translate as:  _You alpha bastard! I'm in heat, are you seriously going to make me talk about heavy stuff?_  But probably laced with a lot more profanity. 

It took Luhan a couple tries before gritting out in Korean, "I wouldn't have called you if I didn't want to be with you right now." His hands squeezed on Jongdae's arms. "I'm just still used to thinking of you as Min's, and off-limits to me. I want you, but I don't want to make him sad."

That was good enough for Jongdae as he grinned, kissed Luhan, and spun them into the bedroom. "I don't want Seok sad either. No one on this whole planet wants his sweet face sad. But I guarantee, he'll be glad we're getting more comfortable around one another."

Luhan moaned and wiggled to help Jongdae get his pants off quicker.

Minseok would be happy about this, Jongdae was more than a hundred percent certain. The beta was spending a week visiting his dad and had been not subtle about suggesting it might be a good chance for Jongdae and Luhan to  _bond_.

He wasn't wrong.

Luhan and Minseok were already comfortable with each other, spending most nights Jongdae was working making out on the couch and snuggling. (It was adorable to come home and find, as they fell asleep tangled with each other on the couch a lot.) Jongdae and Minseok, obviously, were comfortable with one another and made time to have their own private moments. And the three of them, well, all three of them seemed to have been made for intimate stuff together. No one was shy about sex any more. (Jongdae had also come to the strange conclusion they were actually dating Luhan for a while, just without sex. Taking him to movies and dinner with them, going out to the clubs, inviting him over for all the holidays and family style events. Not to mention all those times he trusted Luhan to take care of  _his_ Minseok when the dickhead alpha part of him would have torn out the throat out of anyone else getting that close to his mate.) But Luhan and Jongdae alone, with just each other, were still getting accustomed to not always having Minseok around. They were both nervous about Minseok's reaction from previous issues, like when Minseok had freaked out because he was sure Jongdae wanted to run off with Luhan. Or Luhan's guilt at having an attraction (and stroking off) to his best friend and then his best friend's boyfriend.

Things to get over.

Luhan was naked and writhing on his bed as Jongdae tried to get his own clothes off, and realized something about his own state. Something he should have noticed when he was an ass and snapped at their taxi driver for  _looking_  at Luhan. "Shit, Lu, I think I'm going into a rut..."

The smile Luhan flashed was pure sin. "Good," he purred as he rolled onto his stomach and raised his ass so Jongdae could see his wet hole, inner thighs slick. "Rut on me, then."

"Fuck," Jongdae swore as he climbed on the bed.

He spread Luhan and nuzzled between the omega's ass cheeks, earning a gasp of surprise as he tongued the wanting hole. Luhan smelled so sweet, so spicy, so amazing, and he tasted even better.

Rutting was the alpha answer to an omega's heat. The alpha need to mate. It was irregular, normally only acting up when a virile alpha didn't knot an omega regularly; a compatible omega in heat could also set it off, which was probably the case now. Some alphas reveled in a sense of heightened virility, aggression, and dominance. But Jongdae did not. Besides the fact he didn't like behaving like a douche, before Luhan he mostly dated non-omegas. Rutting on a beta was dangerous, because their bodies did not self-lubricate or accommodate without stretching.

It happened once,  _once_ , with Minseok when the rut came on him out of nowhere and he paid attention to his rutting instinct instead of common sense.

That ended with a trip to the hospital and Jongdae grateful his ruts were so rare, because he was never,  _never_ , having sex with Minseok in that state again. (He cried more than Minseok over the incident. His sweet beta holding his hand and telling him it was okay over and over. Well, until the fucking sanctimonious pick of a doctor started trying to scare Minseok about his  _unnatural_ desires in having sex with an alpha. Which hurt Minseok a lot more than Jongdae had.) Luhan, on the other hand, could handle his rut, and, if the way he was pressing his ass back to get more of Jongdae's tongue in his hole was any indication, might even like it.

Luhan let out a growling sound as he twisted away from Jongdae, giving Jongdae about a half second to freak out that he'd done something wrong, before he was tackled off the side of the bed. His back hit the floor, Luhan's weight on his torso as the omega stretched over him, grinding his leaking erection against Jongdae's hip as he licked into the alpha's mouth. Jongdae kind of liked how aggressive Luhan could be. It was charming.

There was a lot of erotic rolling around, scratching, and biting as Luhan tried to get on top of him. In an average state of arousal, Jongdae would have been happy to let Luhan climb on top and ride his cock (and he hoped that happened in the future), but his rut needed him to be in charge. (Toxic, dickhead alpha mentality at its best.)

He growled as he got Luhan on his stomach on the threshold to the walk-in closet, a hand on the back of the omega's neck to keep him in place. His flushed boyfriend whined out a low, embarrassed, " _alpha_."

Jongdae had just enough sense to get a condom from his jeans, ripping the package open with his teeth, and getting it on before he thrust into Luhan's ready body. He felt his first orgasm almost as soon as he pushed inside, his body spilling in a satisfying rush. He had enough sense to fight the pleasure haze and realize  _something_ didn't feel right as he hissed and pulled out.

The condom was broken. He must have torn it with his teeth.

"Fuck," Jongdae swore as he tore off what was left.

He got off the floor and picked up Luhan, tossing him on the bed, as he went to find another. He was sure they stashed condoms and lube in Luhan's room. It did not occur to him what a ripped condom between a rutting alpha and an omega in heat meant, his mind too full of a need to get his knot buried deep. He found more condoms in the gym bag Luhan carried around.

"What's wrong?" Luhan groaned, grinding his body against the sheets and panting.

"Condom broke," Jongdae managed to grit out.

"Did you come?"

Rutting alpha brain was stupid. "So? I wasn't knotting you," he said.  "Don't worry. I've got a new one."

And it didn't help that heat-addled omega brain was gullible. "Good."

There were no further technical difficulties as he climbed over Luhan and thrust into him again, moaning as he slid into the warm body in one smooth motion, up to his knot. He held as he leaned over and kissed the nape of Luhan's neck before starting to move. That earned a whine as Luhan's hole tightened around him. Jongdae went tormentingly slow as they both came.

"Knot me already!" Luhan demanded, hands clenched in the sheets.

Jongdae grinned as he pulled out and tied off the condom, slipping another on. For the audacity of bossing him around, he decided to tease Luhan a bit. Licking his ass and the needy hole, sucking his balls, until Luhan came.

He rolled the pleasure hazed omega onto his back and wrapped Luhan's legs around his middle as he pushed inside the wet and welcoming body. "I'm going to knot you, Lu," he said, almost singing it.

"About fucking time," Luhan said, chin damp with drool and eyes dark.

Jongdae let out a growl. He couldn't resist teasing a bit more, sliding in to his knot and starting to pull away. He didn't pull out much. Luhan's legs had impressive strength and his hands were almost bruisingly tight on Jongdae's arms.

"Give it to me," Luhan snarled.

"Yes, sir," Jongdae said with a grin as he fucked his knot into Luhan.

He felt his orgasm and thrust hard, deep, his legs feeling weak as he spilled; his knot started to swell. Luhan writhed beneath him, legs squeezing around his waist. It felt so good as Jongdae's hips jerked, wanting to be further, and the rutting tension left him. He liked facing Luhan at these moments, because Luhan was out of control, not as dazed as Minseok, but he salivated and flushed as he tried to rein himself in.

Jongdae kissed him, and Luhan kissed back.

It was fun to see how many times he could make Luhan come while his knot was locked inside the omega. Seven was his current high number, but he'd had Minseok's help that time. He liked the way Luhan twisted, unable to get away, as he stroked the omega's hard cock, liked how Luhan gave into ecstasy.

They snuggled together once Jongdae's knot released and Luhan's heat erection finally calmed down. The earlier broken condom was completely forgotten as they lay sated in each other's arms.

***

Jongdae had been concerned about Minseok before his boyfriend went to visit his dad. He was even more concerned when Minseok came back looking worse. No sweet smile when he came in the door, visibly exhausted, drained, pale, and he had obviously been crying.

Of course, Minseok didn't want to talk about it.

He interrupted any question about his condition with questions about how they'd been. How Luhan's test had gone. If there'd been any progress on buying Exo Planet. If Mrs. Lee's cat had kittens yet. (Fine, sort of, and no.) Hearing Jongdae and Luhan slept together every night and Luhan called Jongdae when he needed help did bring a real smile to Minseok's lips. Though he commented on it being odd Luhan's heat finished after three days instead of the usual week.

It took going out for bubble tea and ice cream, dinner, lovemaking, cuddling with both Jongdae and Luhan, and more lovemaking before Minseok was willing to talk about what happened.

Minseok lay draped over Jongdae, his cheek against Jongdae's collarbone, and no tension left in his body.

He'd been insistent about having each of them inside him while he was sucking off the other. That was half the reason they'd gone another round. First Luhan and then Jongdae. He started crying when Jongdae pulled out, seeming to feel the kind of emptiness as he did after taking Jongdae's knot. Luhan coaxed him calm enough he accepted one of the smaller butt plugs, which did seem to help get Minseok into a better mental state.

"It started out fine," Minseok said. "It was nice to see my dad."

Luhan was sitting on the bed next to them, his hip leaning against Jongdae's as he stroked Minseok's back. "Yeah?"

Minseok nodded. "He was glad to see me, too. Even picked me up at the bus station. He did his usual anxious worry about whether or not I'm eating enough. The stuff he always frets over. I told him about dropping out of college, and he wasn't pleased, but he'll be fine with it." He sighed. "Dad was more shocked when I said I had two boyfriends and told him about the two of you."

"I'm glad you told him," Jongdae said.

"I wanted him to know. Then, maybe, he can worry less," Minseok said, sniffling. "Anyway, my dad started getting super anxious after the third day, but I figured he was working his head about all the bad news I'd given him..."

"We are not bad news," Luhan muttered and Jongdae shushed him.

"Then, right before dinner yesterday, he told me something I didn't want to hear..."

"What?" Jongdae prompted when Minseok didn't continue.

"H-He's seeing Minwoo again," Minseok managed to get out in a thin whisper.

Jongdae didn't growl because Luhan had that covered. Instead he tightened his arms protectively around Minseok. He knew who Minwoo was. Minwoo was Minseok's  _other_ parent, the one who abandoned the family when Minseok was six.

Minseok rubbed his face against Jongdae's chest. "I get my dad's lonely and he never got over... he wants us to be a family. But I don't understand how he lets Minwoo walk all over him. How he still tells him everything, even when he's obviously going to be an asshole about it." Jongdae didn't need to guess where this was about to go as Minseok's tone became ragged and angry. He started to shake. "Suddenly I have to have dinner with this beta, some stranger who has the same nose as me, and I've seen a half dozen times since he  _left_ , and I'm trying to be civil, but he just goes at me like he has any right to comment on my life..."

Minseok choked on a sob.

"S'okay, Seok," Jongdae said as Luhan reached up to pet Minseok's hair. "He's an ass."

Jongdae hadn't met either of Minseok's parents. He wanted to meet the beta Minseok called Dad, who seemed the same sort of sweet personality as Minseok himself, but with considerably less of a backbone. Minwoo, on the other hand, was a real prick in every story Jongdae had heard. One of those betas who had an alpha personality. If he ever met him, he felt confident he'd hit him on Minseok's behalf and wasn't sure he'd be able to stop.

Of course, he'd probably have to pull Luhan off what was left of the beta to get a turn.

"Why does he have to be like that," Minseok said, rubbing his tear streaked cheek against Jongdae's chest. "He doesn't need to be nasty."

"What'd he say?" Jongdae asked, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Stuff I'm used to, like I'm an idiot and a sissy," Minseok said, shrugging because those names didn't hurt him as much as what came next. "I guess Dad must have told him about us, because he started in on how I was being used as a fuck toy..." Luhan sucked in a rage filled breath as Jongdae sneered. "How you'll both come to your senses after you've had your way with me and run off together like it's supposed to be... and, whatever. I've heard it before. Fuck, I've thought it before." He sniffled. "But he turned on my poor dad about my p-perversions and Dad was in tears, and I was on my feet and my throat hurt from shouting..."

The idea of Minseok raising his voice was utterly surreal to Jongdae.

"Then what happened?" Luhan asked.

Minseok let out a long sigh. "I had a dizzy spell and felt sick, so I had to sit down. He got bored yelling at us when I stopped fighting back and left. My poor dad just kept apologizing after he was gone. I just feel bad for him. He can't stop loving Minwoo."

"I feel bad for you," Luhan said, generally unsympathetic toward parents. "You're not a toy."

"I know," Minseok said in that tone the meant he did and didn't know at the same time.

"Seokie," Jongdae said in a sigh.

Luhan let out one of those irritated noises he was trying to keep inside while flopping down onto the mattress next to them. Neither one of them knew how to protect Minseok from his own self-doubt. Beating up Minwoo would have been so much easier.

"Can we stop talking about this?" Minseok asked, lifting his head to look at Jongdae. His cheeks were wet, and Jongdae felt bad thinking he looked pretty in distress.

"Fine," Luhan agreed for them all.

Jongdae was all right letting the subject of Minwoo go. He could feel Minseok was doing better after telling them. But there was the other matter.

"Seok, I'm worried about how you keep having these spells," he said, gently ruffling Minseok's hair and attempting not to be distracted by the delicious citrus, vanilla scent. Minseok's usually soft smell was pungent lately, for the last month or so. Maybe it was an effect of the three of them being together. He started noticing Luhan's more just the other day.

"I'm fine," Minseok said with a smile that was almost real.

***

Minseok was not fine.

Jongdae knew it. Not that Minseok was lying, exactly. Minseok didn't know how to be dishonest. But he didn't want anyone to be concerned over or to make a big deal out of something small. (His health was  _not_ a small concern, not to Jongdae.) Jongdae was not looking forward to the idea of getting into a fight with Minseok about going to see a doctor. Especially since Luhan had been taking Minseok's side on it being unnecessary in casual conversation.

Of course that opinion was probably because Luhan was also sick and moody.

It didn't seem like the same affliction. Luhan would get sick in the morning and then bounce back for the rest of the day like he hadn't spent a half hour in the bathroom retching. Minseok remained lethargic, prone to dizziness, and had no appetite at all unless Jongdae or Luhan were coaxing him to eat. (Jongdae stopped by the cafe to ask if he was eating lunch. Minseok sidestepped the question completely, but his coworkers tattled he wasn't. They were getting worried, too.)

Jongdae had started getting up in the morning with his boyfriends to make them eat breakfast. It varied what went over well. Toast and jam was fine one morning, but a day later the smell of it made Luhan nauseous. 

They currently were in the kitchen, Minseok and Luhan sitting at the breakfast bar eating milk congee, and Jongdae looking in the refrigerator for an energy drink. This being awake during the day thing was exhausting. And after he sent them off to school and work respectively, he was supposed to have a meeting with Junmyeon and Yixing.

"There's a nice tartness to your scent lately," Minseok was saying to Luhan as Jongdae took a swig of his drink. "Do you think you could be pregnant?"

Jongdae nearly choked as he sputtered energy drink on the counter.

Luhan stabbed unhappily at his congee with a spoon, but he seemed to be keeping it down. "Shifting heat can cause a change in scent."

"And we always use a condom," Jongdae said as he searched for a towel to clean up the energy drink on the counter.

He and Luhan did, anyway. Neither of them tended to use one much with Minseok. How often did betas get pregnant when they weren't with another beta? Besides, Minseok said it wasn't necessary, and no one argued.

Luhan nodded distractedly in agreement. Then he froze and all the color drained from his face as he slowly looked at Jongdae. His eyes were huge. "You said that one broke. I was in heat. You came inside me."

"I wasn't knotting you...." Jongdae said, and now that he wasn't in a rut, it sounded as incredibly dumb a reasoning as it was. " _Shit_."

"Oh no..."

"Well, like you said, it still might just be your heat shifting," Minseok said placatingly, breakfast forgotten as he started stroking Luhan's back to soothe him.

"What if it's not?" Luhan said, staring at Jongdae. "What if I'm..."

"Then... It'll be okay. We just need to know first," Minseok said. The only sensible person in the apartment at the moment.

"I'm not going to the doctor," Luhan growled, like this was some elaborate plan to trick him into it.

"The convenience store around the corner should have quick tests," Jongdae said, feeling kind of numb. This was his fault.

"I am  _not_ going in there..." There was a hysteric edge to Luhan's voice and he was blinking to try and keep back tears. "I'm not letting them think I'm some omega  _slut_."

"You were with your boyfriend," Jongdae snapped, a knee-jerk reaction. "And it's none of their business."

"I'll get it," Minseok said as he got off the stool he was sitting on. "Anyone who thinks that is an ass, but I'll go get one. Okay, Lu? Right now?"

"Please," Luhan almost whimpered as he dropped his head into his hands.

Minseok glanced over at Jongdae, and Jongdae had no clue how to react or read the expression as Minseok gave the top of Luhan's head a kiss. The omega didn't say a single word as Minseok left or after. Of course, Jongdae didn't exactly try to start a dialogue either. He leaned against one of the kitchen counters, staring down at the floor, and tried to have thoughts,  _any thoughts_ , and pretty much failed to do anything other than stare at the energy drink mess he still hadn't wiped up.

It felt like an eternity before Minseok came back, neither Jongdae nor Luhan reacted. He set the over-the-counter test on the counter in front of Luhan. No one moved for a really long time, and then Luhan snatched it up and locked himself in the bathroom.

Jongdae managed to shake himself into wiping up the mess and picking up the breakfast dishes, putting them into the sink. He felt Minseok come into the kitchen, felt his boyfriend's arms wrap around his middle as Minseok's compact body pressed against his back. He felt warmer these days.

"I'm not ready for this," Jongdae said as he stared down at congee spilling out of the bowl.

"It'll be okay," Minseok said, squeezing him.

"I've never even thought about kids," he said, shaking his head. "Can you imagine me with kids?"

Minseok didn't answer. But there was something important in the way his hold tightened, then loosened, and he pressed his forehead to the back of Jongdae's shoulder; something important Jongdae was not in a headspace to decipher.

The dishes didn't get done as they stood there for a long time without Luhan coming out of the bathroom. Jongdae tried to come up with a way that was a good sign and came up blank. He was sure the test didn't take that long. Maybe Luhan didn't need to pee yet. Jongdae smoothed a hand over Minseok's arms around his waist to keep himself calm.

It was not a good sign when the bathroom door finally swung open with a bang and Luhan stormed back to the kitchen. "You did this on purpose!" Luhan screamed as he threw the test at Jongdae. "You fucking alpha prick!"

"I did not!" Jongdae shouted back, dodging the test and nearly tripping over Minseok, who let go of him to go to Luhan.

Luhan grabbed a muffin off the counter (the first attempt at the morning's breakfast, which Luhan and Minseok both turned their noses up at) and tossed it at Jongdae's head. "I wanted to finish college! I wanted a life! Now I'm a fucking breeder!"

"Lu, calm down," Minseok said, putting an arm around Luhan's waist and pushing him out of the kitchen before he could escalate to knives. "Take a breath."

"I don't want to take a breath," Luhan snarled. "I want to choke someone!"

"Luhan..." Jongdae started, but Minseok was already reacting in the most amazing fashion.

Minseok grabbed Luhan's chin and forced the omega to meet his eyes. "Luhan, no. That's not funny. Jongdae would never have done it intentionally, and I know you don't really want to hurt him."

"I'm not trying to be funny," Luhan said as his lower lip trembled. "Min, you don't understand. That test says I'm pregnant. My life is over."

"Your life isn't over," Minseok said, kissing Luhan gently and bumping their foreheads. "You can still go to school. You can still have whatever life you want."

"Seok's right," Jongdae said for solidarity, feeling sick himself.

"But I'll bet it's  _strongly encouraged_ ," Luhan whispered to Minseok. "This is fucking how alphas trap omegas who aren't ready to commit."

"I swear it wasn't intentional," Jongdae said, not wanting to be forgotten.

Minseok pulled Luhan into a hug and got him over to sit on the couch. "You don't live in the omega house any more. Jongdae cares about you. He doesn't own you. You know that. And maybe it'll be easier going to school while you're pregnant. I mean, all those pregnancy symptoms, but you won't need to worry about going into heat or having to take suppressants." He paused and counted on his fingers. "You should be on break when you're due if you conceived two weeks ago."

"What about after I have it?" Luhan asked as he pressed his face into Minseok's neck. He sounded calmer.

"What do you mean?"

"Supposedly, omegas are incredibly possessive and protective over their children during the first year," Jongdae said as he came out of the kitchen. "Well, alpha children."

"Yeah," Luhan said, but his fight seemed exhausted. "That's part of how alphas  _trap_ omegas into not having lives of their own."

"Luhan, I am not trying to trap you," Jongdae said. "I'm perfectly fine with you going to school and working. Have I ever done anything to make you think otherwise?"

"No," Luhan said petulantly, as if mad he had nothing to complain about. "I wouldn't have let you fuck me if you had."

"Well, that's a start," Jongdae said as he came as close enough to the couch to sit on the arm, behind Minseok. "I didn't mean it, Lu. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"This sucks. This fucking sucks."

"I wish I'd been here," Minseok said in a whisper as he held Luhan. "It'll be okay, Lu. We'll work it out."

Jongdae reached out and ran the back of his fingers over Minseok's nape. His sweet beta glanced over his shoulder and gave a reassuring smile as Jongdae carefully stroked Luhan's hair where the omega's head was resting on Minseok's shoulder. Luhan, shockingly not only accepted but pressed into the touch, which gave Jongdae a considerable amount of hope for the future.

***

Exhausted didn't even begin to describe how Jongdae felt as he sat in Junmyeon's office at the club.

The beta was explaining some terms the current owners had begun pushing for in the final contract, and what he was planning to respond with in the negotiations. All of which Jongdae wouldn't have been able to follow even if he hadn't been up taking care of a sick Luhan at the crack of dawn. (By one miracle, Minseok slept through it all. By another, Luhan thanked him and curled up in his lap between fits of retching.) Yixing was sitting next to him with that lightly dazed expression that fooled people into assuming he didn't understand what was going on or wasn't really paying attention. 

"And all of this means what?" Jongdae eventually interrupted.

"That Jun's handling it and we just need to look imposing,  _alpha_ , and pretty," Yixing said with a wink.

"Still rough at home?" Junmyeon said, propping his chin on a hand and his elbow on the desk. "I can't believe you're going to be a parent."

"Neither can I," Jongdae admitted. One week was not enough for the idea to sink in. "Luhan's still mad, but he's not avoiding me."

"How's Minseok?" Yixing asked, gracefully leaning back in his chair.

"About this? Handling it better than me and Luhan. He keeps having to bounce back and forth between reassuring me and calming Lu down." Jongdae shook his head. "He's  still lethargic and having spells, though. I think he passed out in the bath two nights ago, but he won't admit it."

"Do you want me to try to talk to him?" Junmyeon asked. "Beta to beta? Sometimes it can be hard to do something with an alpha breathing down your neck."

"You like when I breathe down your neck," Yixing said, somehow leering  _and_ pouting, and Junmyeon ignored him.

"Seok's not like you. He usually responds well to my requests," Jongdae replied as he rubbed his throat. "I don't know what is going on with him."

The last time Jongdae didn't know what was going on in Minseok's head, his boyfriend started avoiding him and had decided he was going to run off with Luhan. He doubted that was the issue this time around, as they were all together, but it made him nervous. That was probably half the reason he hadn't been more aggressive about having him see a doctor; he did not want to set Minseok off if the beta had some crazy kind of doubt simmering in his brain.

Junmyeon let out a thoughtful noise. "If it started after, I'd think he was acting out about Luhan's pregnancy." He shrugged. "But the three of you seem to have a handle on balancing out the jealousy one would expect in your dynamic."

"Smoke and mirrors," Yixing said, dragging his fingers through the air.

"I need to get a house soon," Jongdae said to Junmyeon. "Luhan's been spending more time in our apartment, but... I can't stand when he's in  _his_ apartment now."

"Of course not," Yixing said. "He's got your baby in him. It's amazing you're letting him go out."

There were moments Jongdae was reminded Yixing was a Chinese alpha, and from a dominant, long-standing alpha family. "He mentioned omegas get sequestered during pregnancy back home," Jongdae said as he glanced at his friend.

"For their own safety," Yixing said, "and that of the baby."

"How old fashioned," Junmyeon said dryly to his lover. Then to Jongdae: "I'll help you with funding as soon as this goes through. I appreciate you being patient, Dae."

"Should I start looking?"

"If you like," Junmyeon said. "This won't go on for more than another month. They have a timeline to accept the offer, and they haven't gotten any better."

"You sure?" Jongdae asked as he fished out his phone, feeling it vibrating.

"Xing is," Junmyeon said. "He's asked some of his old contacts to watch and make sure."

"I love making my past work for you," Yixing said to Junmyeon. Jongdae didn't know what that meant and felt safer not asking.

"Which one is it?" Junmyeon asked of the phone call.

"Luhan," Yixing said with a bit too much glee in his eyes. "Calling to bitch him out again."

"I don't mind," Jongdae said. It was indeed Luhan. He noticed he'd somehow missed a call from Minseok's cafe as he answered. "Hey, Lu."

"You have to come get me. Hurry!"

Jongdae's heart almost stopped and he was on his feet. "What's wrong?" he asked as Yixing frowned and Junmyeon waved for him to go. "Where are you?"

"Hurry!" Luhan shouted, sounding utterly frantic, almost hysteric. "I'm on campus. North side."

"I'm on my way," Jongdae said, outside of the club and struggling with his jacket while holding the phone. "But you have to tell me what the problem is. Talk to me, Lu."

"Minseok," Luhan said, hiccuping, and Jongdae went cold. "He collapsed at the cafe. He's at the hospital. You have to get me first." He was crying. "Please."

"Shit," Jongdae swore as he made himself start moving. "Shit, shit, shit. I'm coming."

He hung up the phone and started to run.

***

No one at the hospital was helpful.

It took forever to convince them Luhan (who was a mess and pretty much the external representation of how Jongdae felt inside) didn't need to be admitted. He finally got a nurse to confirm Minseok had been brought in, but she didn't have current information on his condition. She was going to look into it. Or so she said as when she scampered away from him.

Jongdae called the cafe and got Minseok's manager on the phone to find out what happened.

Hyoyeon told him Minseok had been out wiping down tables during a lull. Then Sooyoung was yelling because he'd slumped over, bumped his head on a chair, and hit the floor. She called the hospital when Minseok hadn't woken up immediately and his nose started bleeding. Jongdae could hear the censure in her voice when she said she  _attempted_ to get in contact with him, but had only been able to get in touch with Luhan. That was not what Jongdae needed at the moment as he gave her a curt thanks and hung up on the female alpha.

The nurse came back and said she confirmed Minseok had been seen and was resting comfortably. Dr. Moon, his attending doctor, would be out to speak with Jongdae shortly with the specifics of his condition.

_Dr. Moon._

The name nearly sent Jongdae into full-on toxic alpha mode. Dr. Moon was probably a great doctor and all, but if it was the same Dr. Moon as the last time Minseok was in the hospital, he had awful bedside manner and  _opinions_ on  _deviant sexual behavior_  that made Minseok cry. Luhan thanked the nurse and pulled Jongdae away to sit down in the waiting room so she could get away.

"Are you okay?" Jongdae asked, realizing he'd hardly spoken to Luhan since finding him on campus.

"No," Luhan said as he ran his hands over his face. "You were right. He should have gone to see a doctor."

"I shouldn't have taken no for an answer," Jongdae said with a scowl as he put his arm around Luhan and stroked the omega's hair.

"He didn't seem bad earlier," Luhan said, leaning into Jongdae. He crossed his arms over his stomach. "He stayed curled up with me on the couch and stroked my belly."

"Sounds nice."

"You can, too," Luhan offered. "If you feel like it."

"Sure you won't bite my hand off?" Jongdae said, mostly joking as he kissed Luhan's head. He offered his hand and let Luhan tuck it under his shirt. It was just the touch of warm skin, a flat stomach, but it caused a lump in Jongdae's throat. "I would never try and trap you, Lu."

"I know you didn't impregnate me on purpose, and I'm getting used to the idea." Luhan let out a long sigh. "Thanks for not trying to lock me up."

"I can't even imagine," Jongdae said, and grimaced as he admitted. "I do wish you'd live with us."

"Yeah. I'm working up to it. I don't really like being away from the two of you," Luhan said as he rubbed the back of Jongdae's hand. "Do you think Min's okay?"

"He has to be," Jongdae said, chewing on his lower lip and forcing a bit of humor. "We're not nurturing enough to have children without him."

Luhan let out a small laugh.

They sat in silence until a short beta with thinning hair and a permanent frown started toward them. Dr. Moon. He had his jaw set like he was incredibly disappointed in Jongdae. That he felt he had any right to judge put Jongdae on edge as he pulled his hand out from under Luhan's shirt and got to his feet. He pulled Luhan with him, meeting the doctor halfway.

"How's Minseok?" Jongdae asked.

"He's resting for now. He has a mild contusion on the right side of his head from the fall, but is not showing signs of being concussed," Dr. Moon said, looking at his notes. "The nosebleed is a symptom of his other condition, as is the dehydration. I've sent blood work out for him, and it hasn't come back yet. We want to keep him overnight."

"Other condition?" Jongdae asked, feeling Luhan tense next to him.

The doctor scowled as he met Jongdae's eyes, same way he had when Jongdae was explaining he'd knotted Minseok in a rut. "His pregnancy. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for a beta to carry a non-beta child? He should have been coming in for regular checkups if you mean to have him go full term. His body type makes him high risk even if he sensibly had a beta partner."

Irritation and shock meant what the doctor was saying didn't sink in until Jongdae felt Luhan's hands tighten on his arm and the omega gasped. "Wait. Our Minseok is pregnant? Like, with a baby?"

Dr. Moon looked at Luhan, as if just realizing he was there, and there was a satisfying flash of confusion as he tried to process  _our Minseok_. "Somewhere around six weeks from what I'm seeing. He'll want to see a specialist to be more precise."

Jongdae didn't have the luxury of being in shock for a few hours like he had after learning Luhan might be pregnant. "Are you sure? He hasn't been sick in the morning."

The doctor offered his clipboard, which Luhan snatched to read. "He said he's been feeling tried and unable to eat. Those are also early symptoms." For the first time Dr. Moon showed a flash of something akin to sympathy. "You really didn't know?"

"No," Jongdae said, shaking his head and feeling something unpleasant in the pit of his stomach. "Did he?"

"That's beyond my scope," Dr. Moon said, holding out his hand for the clipboard.

"But he's going to be okay?" Jongdae asked.

Dr. Moon tucked the clipboard under his arm when Luhan gave it back. "As I said before, I want to keep him overnight while we're getting his testing back, and to get him hydrated. But, yes; so long as he begins taking proper care of himself. The child too, if he starts getting prenatal care. I'll have my nurse write up a referral for Doctor Do's clinic. He specializes in high risk pregnancies of... this sort."

"Can we see him?" Jongdae asked, flexing his hands at his sides.

"Room 407. I'd advise letting him sleep for now, but, as you said last time, you'll do what you want with your mate."

"C'mon, Lu," Jongdae said, not rising to the challenge.

"Pregnant," Luhan said as he followed Jongdae down the hall to find room 407. "Minseok's pregnant."

"Apparently."

Minseok was indeed sleeping when they found the room. He was tucked into bed wearing a pale hospital smock, an IV in his arm, an ugly purple bruise on his temple creeping to become a black eye, and yet he somehow looked healthier (more color to his cheeks) than he had in a while.

Luhan pulled a chair over to sit next to the bed.

Jongdae sat by the window and tried to figure out how he managed to have  _two_ pregnant boyfriends when he was getting used to the  _one_.

***

Jongdae lay on the couch in Junmyeon's office, staring at the ceiling. He was trying to distract himself from his life by wondering how many times Junmyeon and Yixing had sex on that very piece of furniture.

The distraction wasn't all that effective.

That morning he and Luhan picked up Minseok from the hospital and brought him home. Minseok wasn't a loud person by nature, but he'd been incredibly reserved and kept his eyes downcast the whole time. He would give short responses when Jongdae or Luhan spoke to him (and no response when Jongdae asked if he knew he was pregnant), but otherwise was totally silent. By the time Minseok stepped into their apartment, he looked exhausted (and nervous and possibly scared, and it was breaking Jongdae's heart) and felt like he should lie down. Luhan had taken him to the bedroom.

Jongdae made lunch to calm his own nerves, and because he heard Minseok and Luhan starting to whisper and didn't want to interrupt. Minseok didn't want to talk to him, apparently. He tried not letting it bother him, but the thought festered until he needed to leave. Minseok didn't need the stress of seeing him angry. He played it cool and told them Junmyeon needing him down at Exo Planet.

"Dae? You're here early. Everything okay?"

Jongdae blinked up at Junmyeon walking into his office. "Yes," he said, then shook his head. "No. Actually, I'm not really sure right now."

One of Junmyeon's eyebrows shot up as he took off his jacket and tossed it at a hook behind his desk. "Was Luhan all right yesterday?"

"Lu's fine. He wasn't calling about himself," Jongdae said as he sat up. "Minseok collapsed at the cafe. I... missed the call." That still didn't feel good.

"Is he all right?" Yixing asked as he sauntered in and perched on the corner of Junmyeon's desk.

"He's pregnant," Jongdae said. It sounded so surreal. "And he got a black eye from the fall."

Junmyeon dropped into his chair behind the desk as if he'd been knocked off his feet.

"I thought Luhan was pregnant," Yixing said, furrowing his brow in honest confusion.

"He is," Junmyeon said, rubbing his forehead. "Dae has apparently knocked up both his mates at the same time. I'm impressed with your virility."

Technically, it was possible Minseok was carrying Luhan's child, but that was semantics, and no one else's business. Jongdae wasn't even sure if he should mention the possibility given Minseok's alpha fetish and Luhan's stress over his own pregnancy.

"Oh. Wow," Yixing said, letting out a whistle.

"Get condoms on your way home," Junmyeon told Yixing. "We'll need to use them again."

"That's not fair!" Yixing twisted to look at his lover. " _I_  didn't knock  _you_  up."

"I want to keep it that way," Junmyeon replied with alpha level strictness.

"This is really helpful," Jongdae said, his own voice dripping with sarcasm. "Thanks."

They both winced and turned back to him. Junmyeon cleared his throat. "So, how are Minseok and Luhan doing?"

Jongdae shook his head as he leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees. "I don't know. Seok's hardly said a full sentence since we brought him home this morning. I guess Luhan is fine. We had a good talk in the waiting room yesterday. He's finally calmed down, just in time for all this."

"What are you going to do?" Yixing asked.

Jongdae sighed and ran a hand into his hair. "I don't know."

There was a quiet in the room before Junmyeon started to talk. "You have a lot of options if you have no idea," he said, and went on when Jongdae didn't reply. "You could break it off with one or both of them. You could ask if they'd be willing to terminate the pregnancy or..."

Jongdae didn't even realize he was moving until Yixing was off the desk and standing in front of him, intent on protecting his mate. "He wasn't really suggesting you follow either course of action," he said, a hand on Jongdae's chest to keep him back.

Junmyeon had pushed back from the desk, rolled his chair against the wall. "No," he said, slowly. "I wasn't. I wanted to illustrate you have made choices, even if you haven't realized it. You're not giving up Luhan or Minseok. Or the potential children."

Yixing glanced over his shoulder. "I hate how you talk about babies."

Junmyeon shrugged as he pulled himself back to the desk. "The real question is, where do you go from here. And how do they feel about it. You talked about Luhan, but you haven't mentioned how Minseok feels about being pregnant."

"That's because I don't know," Jongdae snapped.

"Well, he did only find out yesterday," Yixing said as Jongdae drew back.

"Maybe. I'm not sure he didn't know," Jongdae said, sitting down. "He's six weeks along."

"Do you think he'd keep this kind of thing from you?" Junmyeon asked.

"I didn't. But... I don't know."

"We are obviously not who you should be talking to," Junmyeon said as he turned on his computer. "I'm sure Minseok is just waiting to spill everything."

"He was talking to Luhan when I left."

"Luhan isn't his alpha," Yixing said, returning to sit on the desk.

Junmyeon sighed and looked incredibly annoyed. "The other day you said Minseok wasn't like me. That's true. He likes you being his alpha more than I like dating an alpha. But even I feel better after I've unburdened myself to my alpha." Yixing had the sense to smile at Jongdae, raising his eyebrows, and keeping his mouth shut. "You should be making yourself available to Minseok instead of being here."

"Even if he hurt your feelings chatting up Luhan," Yixing added.

"Go home, Dae," Junmyeon said as he took out his phone. "I'll get Kangta to cover you tonight."

***

Luhan was standing in the living room when Jongdae got back to the apartment, fussing with his shirt sleeves. He was wearing his work clothes. Button-up white shirt, pressed black slacks, black vest, and black bow tie hanging undone around his neck. "I was about to call you," he said. "I don't think Min should be alone right now. And I need to work."

"Junmyeon's getting me coverage tonight," Jongdae said, glancing around. "Where is Seok?"

"He's taking a bath right now." Luhan scowled. "I can't believe you took off. He cried for an hour."

Jongdae grimaced. "I thought you two needed time."

Luhan gave him a look that told Jongdae everything he needed to know about what the omega thought of that excuse. "We did. With you. To figure this out. Not me on my own for two hours of Min freaking himself out and setting me off."

"Did something happen?" Jongdae asked, brow crinkling as he moved closer.

"Not really," Luhan said as he allowed Jongdae to help him with the bow tie. He licked his lips. "Do you want kids?"

"What kind of question is that?" Jongdae asked as he settled the tie under Luhan's collar.

"An important one."

"You didn't want to have children," he pointed out as he got the tie done and stepped back to admire his work.

Luhan checked the tie by feel. "I never said that. I didn't want a kid at this point in my life," Luhan said, focusing on the buttons of his vest. "I... figured I'd have at least one. I just wanted to have done  _something_ with my life first."

"You can still do something with your life, Lu," Jongdae said softly.

The omega shrugged, not receptive to that topic at the moment. "We'll see. That's not the point. I always figured a kid would be a part of my life at some point. What about you? Do you want kids?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Why aren't you answering?" Luhan said, lifting his chin to glare Jongdae's in the eyes.

"I never thought about it," Jongdae admitted.

"Well, start," Luhan snapped. "There are at least two coming."

Jongdae couldn't even mentally touch the 'at least' part of the statement. "I know I want the three of us together," he said, and Luhan softened some, "and we need to find a bigger space. You need to live with us."

"Alpha urges setting in?"

Jongdae ignored the provocation. "I know I want you, Seok, and the kids healthy. I'm working on it, Lu."

Luhan pursed his lips and glanced over at the bathroom door. "Minseok's scared."

"Of what?"

"He doesn't say, but from how he reacted to your going out, I can guess."

"Care to share?"

Luhan fussed with his cuffs even though they were perfectly done. "I think he still has that fear from when he was six and was sure he was the reason Minwoo left, and he's terrified of becoming his dad and having to raise the kid alone."

"I would never leave him," Jongdae all but snarled.

"What he did tell me was Minwoo never wanted to have kids, which is why I asked if you did," Luhan said as he picked up his jacket. "You should talk to him. He needs reassurances from you."

"Luhan," Jongdae said, stepping in his way before he could get to the door. "Let's talk about you, for just a minute. How do you feel about all this?"

The omega said nothing, glancing away and then slowly back to meet Jongdae's eyes. "Minseok doesn't believe me, but I'm  _happy_  about it. The idea Minseok is going to be going through this with me, is going to be dealing with the same sorts of body and hormone changes, makes the idea of being pregnant a lot easier for me. It's the best thing that could have happened to help me accept all this." He licked his lips. "But I'm also scared about what the doctor said about Min being high risk. The idea of losing Minseok is terrifying. And I can't talk to him about that right now."

For a moment they shared the nightmare vision of a world without their Minseok. Jongdae shook it off first. "We won't lose him. We're going to take better care of him," he said as he pulled Luhan into a hug. "I'm an alpha. I get to make proclamations like that and have them stick."

"First and only time I'll cheer for alpha privilege," Luhan said, hugging him back.

Luhan gave him a kiss before squirming away to leave for work.

Jongdae locked the door behind him and went to the kitchen, glad to see both the lunch plates he left had been eaten. He licked his lips as he went to the knock on the bathroom door. "Seokie?" he called.

"Yeah."

"Can I come in?"

"Why?"

"I was hoping I could join you."

There was a long pause before he answered, "Okay."

Jongdae took a deep breath as he opened the door. Part of the reason he had chosen this apartment originally was because of the large bathroom with both a shower and bathtub he could soak in. (Luhan wasn't big on showering with someone else, but Minseok was more than happy to bathe with him.) Minseok looked ethereal with his pale skin, a bit pink from the warmth of the bathwater, and soft brown hair. He was curled up in the bathtub with his legs drawn to his chest, chin on his knees, steam rising around him.

The black eye did not suit the image as Minseok lifted his head to turn to him. Jongdae grimaced and felt like the worst alpha in existence for not getting Minseok to a doctor sooner as he looked at the puffy red and purple flesh.

"Oh, Seok," he said, walking over and kneeing down next to the tub. He touched his boyfriend's cheek to make him turn so he could see it better. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. It doesn't hurt too much," Minseok said, looking down at his knees. "I'm sorry."

Jongdae had no clue what Minseok was apologizing about as he got up and took off his shirt. "You said it was okay to join you, right?" he asked, undoing his pants.

Minseok nodded with a few quick bobs of his head, watching Jongdae undress from the corner of his non-swollen eye. He shifted to make room so Jongdae could climb in behind him. Then he moved between Jongdae's legs to rest his back against Jongdae's chest. Minseok fit well against him.

Once they were settled, Jongdae picked up a sponge and rubbed it over Minseok's shoulders and neck, stroking down his chest and kissing his nape until he felt Minseok start to relax. The beta stretched out his legs and pressed back into Jongdae. Neither of them said a word as Jongdae's hands slipped to stroke his stomach, petting gently before just resting there protectively.

"I'm sorry," finally came out Minseok, a quiet, trembling admission.

"For what?" Jongdae asked. He had a few things he wanted to hear apologies for, and a few he didn't want Minseok apologizing about.

"For not telling you," was definitely in the first category.

Jongdae was glad Minseok wasn't facing him and couldn't see the twitch of a frown on his lips. "You knew you were pregnant?" Jongdae asked, attempting not to let any negative emotion bleed into his tone.

Minseok shook his head, flinging water droplets about. "No. I didn't know. I-I started to think I might be, but I was too scared to find out. That was part of why I went to see my dad, to talk to him. But I was too nervous and then it all went to shit and I never got a chance." Something else Minwoo ruined. "I even bought a test for myself when I got the one for Luhan, but I threw it away on the walk back because I didn't want to know as much as I wanted to know."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jongdae said, lightly scratching at Minseok's stomach.

"I want kids."

Jongdae raised an eyebrow in confusion. "That's why you didn't tell me?"

Minseok raised his knees and hunched forward, but Jongdae's arms around his middle kept him from pulling away and huddling in on himself. "That's why I never cared about a c-condom after we started living together," Minseok said, his voice cracking with the admission. "Sorry."

That was a bit to take in, but Jongdae pushed on. "But why didn't you tell me you wanted kids?" he asked softly, nuzzling the back of Minseok's head. "I never knew that about you, Seok."

Minseok was shivering despite the warmth of the water. "Because I'm stupid."

"You are  _not_  stupid," Jongdae said.

He splashed water on his face to hide the way he was tearing up, even though his voice was cracking. "Because I didn't want to mess things up with us. Because you never said you did, and I didn't want to get dumped if you didn't. Because it's so hard for a beta to get pregnant by an alpha, and if you did want kids, I didn't want to get your hopes up and be a failure."

"You will never be a failure to me, Minseok," Jongdae said, pulling Minseok flush against him and hooking his chin over his boyfriend's shoulder. "Seokie, my sweet little beta. You have to share these things with me. I'm not a mind reader.

Minseok was hiding his face with his hands. "I know. I'm sorry. I-I get so wrapped up... I can't get out of my head."

Jongdae sighed and he rocked Minseok slightly, water swishing around them. He needed to figure out when Minseok was starting down one of these roads so he could diffuse the thoughts before they got to this point. "You know," he said, nipping his boyfriend's ear. "I never really thought about children before. I said that the other day, and I'm sorry if that frightened you. It's not that I don't like children. I mean, my cousin and her wife have a couple betas and I like to play with them. It's just I never have considered my own little ones. It's not a bad idea. You running around after them in the yard, Luhan making them study and kissing their heads. Kind of nice, actually."

"But what are you doing in that image?" Minseok asked as he twisted to look at Jongdae, their faces inches apart. "Where are you?"

"Making food," Jongdae answered, and it came simpler than he expected. "Someone needs to feed the five of us."

Minseok let out a choked sob as he twisted fully into Jongdae, burying his face against the alpha's neck. "I don't want to lose you, Jongdae," he said, rubbing his face like he was attempting to drink in the smell. "I want you to be with me and Luhan and the babies."

"I'm going to be," Jongdae said as he held Minseok close and stroked his wet hair. "Seok, you're stuck with me."

"Thank you," Minseok sniffled, and they just held each other for a while. Until he spoke, "I'm feeling better now that I know."

"And we can figure out how to help you, like eating more," Jongdae said as he settled them comfortably. "Luhan told me your chart said you were undernourished."

"It's been hard to eat," Minseok said in a sigh. "I'll try harder." He swallowed. "I made an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow."

"Which doctor?"

"They gave me a referral for a pregnancy and childcare clinic," he said.

"Good," Jongdae said. Glad it wasn't Dr. Moon.

Minseok was kissing his neck as he whispered, "Are you mad?"

Now that was a loaded question. "That you weren't talking to me about things that are important to you and involve us, yes, I'm mad," he said, feeling Minseok stiffen in his arms. "That you're pregnant, no." He paused. "Especially if you're not planning on throwing stuff at my head for getting you pregnant."

The attempt at humor didn't go over like Jongdae intended. Minseok just whispered, "It might be Luhan's."

Jongdae felt a strange sense of relief he wasn't the only one to have the thought. "Make sure you tell the doctor that, even if it's embarrassing. I want you to get the best care for your pregnancy, no matter which of us got you pregnant."

"It's okay? If it's not yours?"

"The child  _is_ mine. It's going to be  _ours_. Just like the one Luhan is carrying," Jongdae said firmly, surprised by how much he meant it. "There's nothing more to discuss about that point. We're going to have a couple children, and between you and Luhan, no one is going to be able to resist their cuteness."

Minseok let out a little chuckle and finally really relaxed. "Thank you,  _alpha_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is so much more I wanted to write! I may have to do a sequel about the pregnancy era. (I also may do a Junmyeon/Yixing story at some point, which may be a bit darker in tone.) The question being, if I write a sequel, do I post it as new chapters here or a new story? Comments and thoughts appreciated. ^_^


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